Sergey Lavrov: Russia and India are reliable partners

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met in Moscow on Wednesday, 27 December.

Lavrov said that the long-standing relations between India and Russia are developing consistently. He added that both New Delhi and Moscow are interested in creating an "open, fair for all international political-economic system."

The minister also said that the agreements between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin have laid the foundation for robust India-Russia relations.

Lavrov made these remarks during his opening remarks at his bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Moscow.

"Russia and India are reliable partners. This has been repeatedly confirmed by the development of bilateral ties, first of all in accordance with the agreements between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi"

Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Minister

The Russian foreign minister also noted that the quality of India-Russia relations is confirmed by the multilateral co-operation between the two countries within the framework of the UN, BRICS, SCO and G20.

"Today we face an important task: to see what more can be done to ensure that the decisions of our authorities are implemented as effectively as possible," Lavrov added.

In turn, the Indian foreign minister noted the progress in relations with Russia, calling them strong and sustainable. According to his assessment, the leaders of the two countries will focus on bilateral co-operation in various spheres.

"We have seen different manifestations of our interaction this year," Jaishankar emphasised, noting the participation of Indian representatives in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), and the talks of the intergovernmental Russian-Indian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.

He also said that bilateral trade between Russia and India is at a historic level, with trade turnover to exceed $50 billion in 2023.

During the meeting, the two foreign ministers also discussed cooperation in tourism. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stressed that India expects to see more travellers from Russia.

"We discussed issues related to civil aviation and tourism. We hope to see more Russian travellers in India"

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Indian Foreign Minister

He pointed out that the increased number of flights linking the two countries would facilitate this. This is reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Photo:  Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia