External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday, covering bilateral ties and several major global issues. The discussions included the situations in Ukraine, Iran and Afghanistan, along with cooperation through BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the United Nations and the G20.
Jaishankar, who arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a two-day visit, said the talks covered bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues. The meeting comes ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expected visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13.
According to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, the two sides coordinated their positions on developments in Ukraine, Iran and Afghanistan. They also reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination in international forums and agreed to strengthen dialogue at various levels.
Economic cooperation was another key focus of Jaishankar’s Russia visit. On Monday, he met Russian President Vladimir Putin, with discussions focusing on trade, energy, fertilisers and nuclear cooperation.
Jaishankar also co-chaired a meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation with First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.
The Moscow talks underline the importance India and Russia continue to attach to their strategic partnership. With the BRICS summit approaching, both countries are also looking to strengthen coordination on global and economic issues.
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