External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to Russia this week provided an opportunity to review ongoing bilateral cooperation and examine ways to further bolster the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, according to an official statement on December 30.
During his visit, from December 25 to 29, Mr. Jaishankar called on President Vladimir Putin and held discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov. He also held discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
He had a comprehensive exchange of views on bilateral cooperation in trade and economics, energy, defence, connectivity, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation between regions of the two countries. He also shared perspectives on global and regional developments, including multilateral cooperation.
Three documents relating to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, an MoU on cooperation in pharmaceuticals and healthcare and a Protocol on Foreign Office Consultations were signed during the visit.
“The EAM’s [External Affairs Minister] visit to Russia provided an opportunity to review ongoing bilateral cooperation and consider ways to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Going strong
“India-Russia relations have remained strong and steady building upon strategic convergences, geopolitical interests, and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries,” it said.
During Mr. Jaishankar’s meeting with Putin at the Kremlin on Wednesday, the Russian president invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia next year. “We will be glad to see our friend, Mr. Prime Minister Modi in Russia,” Mr. Putin told him.
So far, 21 annual summits have taken place alternatively in India and Russia. The last summit took place in New Delhi in December 2021.
Moscow's invasion of Ukraine notwithstanding, the ties between India and Russia remained strong. 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.
Mutual development
Mr. Jaishankar also interacted with Russian think tanks/academics and exchanged views on Indian foreign policy perspectives as well as Russia-India relations.
The rich contribution of cultural ties and people-to-people exchanges in enhancing the goodwill and friendship between India and Russia was reflected in the Minister’s interaction with the Indian Diaspora in Moscow, the statement said.
In Saint Petersburg, Mr. Jaishankar met the Governor, Alexander Beglov, and discussed possibilities of cooperation in the economic and cultural fields. He had a discussion with a diverse cross-section of Indologists at Saint Petersburg University.
Views were exchanged on how to enhance a better direct understanding and appreciation of developments in the two countries.
He also interacted with teachers and students at School No 653 named after Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, a premier Russian government school which teaches Hindi as part of its regular curriculum.
