New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday held talks in Moscow covering a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interests. The external affairs minister arrived in Moscow on Monday evening.
"India, Russia engage each other in an increasingly multi-polar, re-balanced world. We do so as two polities who have had an exceptionally steady, time-tested relationship," Jaishankar said during the meeting with the Russian FM.
Jaishankar pointed out the last few years of the Covid pandemic, financial pressures, and trade difficulties have taken a toll on the global economy. He also referred to the ongoing war Russia has waged in Ukraine. "Covid, trade difficulties have taken a toll on global economy; we are now seeing consequences of Ukraine conflict on top of that," the EAM said.
"Where bilateral ties are concerned, our objective is to fashion a contemporary, balanced, mutually beneficial and long-term engagement," the EAM added. He said that there are more perennial issues of terrorism and climate change, both of which have a disruptive impact on progress and prosperity.
Also read: Ex-Indian envoys to Russia, Ukraine calls Jaishankar's Moscow visit 'significant'
Addressing a press briefing along with Lavrov after the bilateral talks, Jaishankar said, "We exchanged views on international issues. Ukraine conflict was the dominant feature. As PM Modi conveyed to Russian president Vladimir Putin, this is not an era of war. The global economy is simply too interdependent for significant conflict anywhere not to have major consequences elsewhere".
Speaking on India-Russia trade and how to fix the obstacles, the EAM said: "We are naturally concerned about trade imbalance and have raised this with the Russian side regarding how to arrest impediments that stand in the way of Indian exports".
The EAM said that India has substantial and time-tested relations with Russia. "We have been trying to find ways to expand this relationship & make it more durable. We discussed areas where there are natural interests between both countries", Jaishankar said during the press briefing
He noted that it was important that the world "should not forget the situation in Afghanistan because today it's not getting the attention that it deserves". "There is a humanitarian situation. India has provided food, medicines, and vaccines and we are trying to find ways to support the Afghan people," he said.
He reiterated that Russia has been a steady partner and that any objective evaluation of the relationship over many decades would confirm that it has served both countries very well for many decades.
During the press briefing in Moscow, Jaishankar pointed out that the world is moving towards greater multi-polarity through steady and continuous re-balancing and that especially means a multi-polar Asia. "As prominent nations who have a history of working together, this will influence conversation between Russia & India", the EAM added.
The meeting of the two leaders, according to the External Affairs Ministry, was meant to assess the state of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and exchange perspectives on the international situation.
The EAM also met Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and Minister of Trade and Industry, Denis Manturov, his counterpart for the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).
Jaishankar and Lavrov have already met four times after the Ukraine conflict began in February. Since the Ukraine conflict began, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Russian President Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a number of times.
In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said there can be "no military solution" and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts. At a bilateral meeting with Putin in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 16, Modi told him that "today's era is not of war". India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
