Sergey Lavrov underlined the strategic relationship between India and Russia and said they have “utmost respect” for the foreign policy of the Indian government to pursue its “national interests” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced at the recent 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that a visit to New Delhi by President Vladimir Putin is planned in December. According to news agency ANI, he said, “In December, a visit from Mr Putin is being planned to New Delhi,” highlighting a key bilateral agenda that includes trade, military cooperation, technological exchange, finance, humanitarian efforts, healthcare, and advancements in high-tech sectors such as artificial intelligence.
Lavrov also expressed confidence in India’s ability to independently navigate its trade relations, saying, “India is perfectly capable of making their own decisions in its trade relations with Russia.”
Reflecting on recent discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Lavrov said, “This year, my colleague, I spoke to him, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will visit Russia, and I will visit India. We hold regular exchanges. I’m not even asking what is going to happen to our trade relations, our oil. I don’t ask our Indian colleagues this. They are perfectly capable of making these decisions on their own.
He also hailed his counterpart Jaishankar, saying India has “self-respect” like Turkey.
“No threat to this relationship”: Lavrov on India-Russia tiesย
Lavrov asserted that the economic partnership between India and Russia is “not under threat” amid the US tariffs on India for buying Russian oil.
Lavrov said, “(The economic partnership between India and Russia) is not under threat… The Indian Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have made it clear that India chooses its own partners. If the US has proposals on how to enrich bilateral trade between the US and India, they are prepared to discuss the terms for that, whatever terms the US might put forth. But when it comes to trade, investment, economic, military, technological, and other relations between India and third states, it is something that India will discuss only with those states in question.”ย
Sergey Lavrov underlined the strategic relationship between India and Russia and said they have “utmost respect” for the foreign policy of the Indian government to pursue its “national interests” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Russia backs India’s bid for permanent UNSC seat
Russia has reiterated its support for India’s bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Lavrov emphasised the need for reform in the UNSC to reflect the current global landscape. He stated that Russia backs India’s application for a permanent seat, along with Brazil, to enhance representation from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Lavrov said Moscow “supports the application of Brazil and India for permanent seats” on the Council. With this, Russia became the only permanent member of the UNSC to support India for a permanent seat.
(With ANI inputs)
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