Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s talks with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Photo: MFA

Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s talks with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

On November 17, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who is in Moscow to attend a meeting of the SCO Heads of Government Council.

The ministers discussed current issues on the bilateral and international agenda with a focus on preparations for the annual Russian-Indian summit which will take place on the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

Due attention was given to practical steps to further develop trade and economic cooperation, including in the energy and financial sectors, as well as military-technical and logistics cooperation.

The ministers reaffirmed Russia and India’s commitment to building a just, multipolar world order and ensuring global security. They agreed to continue coordinating their approaches to cooperation between Russia and India in key multilateral formats: the UN, SCO, BRICS, and the G20.

They expressed their mutual commitment to further advance the Russian-Indian special and privileged strategic partnership.

Photo: MFA

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during talks with Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Distinguished Minister,

Friends,

We are pleased to welcome you to Moscow as you take part in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government.

We regularly use the opportunities offered by multilateral events to talk and to sync our agendas on matters that are discussed and advanced during top-level meetings between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

This is our sixth meeting this year which shows that relations between the Russian Federation and India are relations of a particularly privileged strategic partnership and are our top foreign policy priority.

We maintain a substantive political dialogue; the heads of security councils, foreign affairs and defence ministries, and economic agencies meet on a regular basis in addition to top-level summits. Our treaty and legal framework and numerous and highly effective interstate cooperation mechanisms are being constantly updated and improved.

At this point, we are placing special emphasis on creating favourable conditions for our economic operators to work in each other’s markets. The list of bilateral trade items continues to expand, and supply chains that are impervious to illegitimate external influence continue to be built.

The International North-South Transport Corridor and the Northern Sea Route are the most promising projects in which Russia and India are deeply involved.

We can boast impressive results and, arguably, have even more favourable prospects in energy, industry, agriculture, military and military-technical cooperation, as well as in scientific-technical and cultural ties.

We closely cooperate on the international stage, including within the UN, BRICS, the SCO, and the G20. Without a doubt, our interaction contributes to strengthening regional and global stability and enhancing the effectiveness of these groups and organisations.

You have a rich and diverse programme in Moscow. As I understand, you will focus in particular on bilateral relations at your meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. Today, however, we can address some of bilateral issues and focus mostly on cooperation in the international arena as part of the agreements between our respective foreign ministries.

Your visit comes at an opportune time in light of the Russian-Indian summit in India’s capital which is just three weeks away.

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