Jaishankar’s meeting with Putin is being considered important as the Russian President does not usually meet visiting foreign ministers.
Putin Invites Modi:
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar in the Kremlin on Wednesday that despite all the turmoil happening in the world, the relations of the Indian people with India, a traditional friend in Asia, are progressively developing, the Kremlin said in its remarks. Said in Russian.
“We will be glad to see our friend, Mr. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Russia. We will be able to discuss all current issues and talk about the prospects for the development of Russian-Indian relations,” Putin told Jaishankar, who was also accompanied by Ambassador to Russia Pawan Kapoor and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Charanjit Singh. , in charge of Russia.
Jaishankar’s meeting with Putin is being considered important as the Russian President does not usually meet visiting foreign ministers.
Putin said the domestic political calendar in India next year is “difficult and complicated,” with Lok Sabha elections approaching, but he expressed hope that despite the alignment of political forces, traditional friendly relations between the peoples of the two countries will remain. ,
“We know the position of Prime Minister Modi, who has spoken about this many times, his position towards complex issues, including hot spots, and the situation in Ukraine.”
He said he has repeatedly informed Modi about the conflict situation in Ukraine. “I know his desire to do everything to solve this problem through peaceful means,” Putin told Jaishankar.
Putin, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, said trade turnover was growing, and growing at a confident pace for the second year in a row. This year, the pace is even higher than last year. He said, “Everyone knows this well: these are, of course, energy resources, first of all, oil, petroleum products, and coal, but not only that, we have high work at the technical level.”
After the meeting, Jaishankar said in a post on X, “Honored to meet President Vladimir Putin this evening. Heartily congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and handed over a personal message. I informed President Putin about my discussions with Ministers Manturov and Lavrov. I appreciated his guidance on the further development of our relations.”
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar, who met Lavrov for the seventh time this year, said India-Russia relations remain “very stable, very strong” and are based on “strategic convergence,” “geopolitical interests,” and “mutual are beneficial”.
Lavrov, for his part, said relations are based on “mutual respect” and are not subject to “political fluctuations”—a veiled reference to the US in particular and the West in general.
The foreign ministers underlined the strategic nature of the relationship and how it encompasses the defense and energy sectors. This is important at a time when the Russia-Ukraine war has polarized the world and Delhi continues to buy Russian oil at discounted prices, much to the dismay of the West. India is also heavily dependent on Russia for defense supplies, and about 60 to 70 percent of old equipment and spare parts are sourced from Russia.
Lavrov spoke on the strategic nature of India-Russia cooperation and said they discussed “joint production of modern weapons.” But he also said Moscow “respects” India’s “aspiration” to diversify its military and technological cooperation.
“We also discussed the possibilities of military and technical cooperation, including joint production of modern weapons. We also have specific steps in this area. Our cooperation is of a strategic nature. Strengthening it coincides with the national interests of our states and the interests of maintaining security in the Eurasian continent. We respect the aspiration of our Indian partners to diversify their military and technological ties. We also understand that we are ready to support the initiative to produce military products as part of Made in India. We are ready to cooperate in this area,” he said while listening to Jaishankar.
While he did not elaborate on the defense partnership with Russia, Jaishankar underlined that India-Russia bilateral trade is at an “all-time high” and crossed US$50 billion last year. “We expect it to be more than that this year,” he said.
“And what is important is that this trade is more balanced. It is sustainable, and it provides fair market access,” he said.
On energy relations, Jaishankar said, “Today we have very important relations in terms of Indian investments in oil and gas in Russia, which we want to expand. Even in atoms, yesterday we signed two important amendments that will take the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project forward.”
“We have confirmed our aspiration to strengthen energy cooperation,” Lavrov said. This is a strategic area of our relations. We agreed to expand exports of Russian hydrocarbons to the Indian market as well as cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Firstly, further implementation of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Project. Thus making a practical contribution to India’s activities and actions towards meeting its national needs for clean and safe energy produced in the country.
Jaishankar said they discussed a range of issues, including cooperation in the Russian Far East. He said he expects “strong participation from Russia at the Vibrant Gujarat meeting in January, which will also be attended by many governors from the Far East.”
“Of course, we also discussed the global strategic situation, talked about Ukraine, about Gaza, about the Indo-Pacific, about ASEAN, Afghanistan, and about UN-related matters. It’s been a very, very good discussion,” he said.
Lavrov praised India’s foreign policy as a “responsible policy,” saying, “This is the only responsible policy that can ensure respect, prestige, and benefits for a country—a policy that is in accordance with the UN Charter.” Reflects the main principles that underpin respect for the Sovereign.”Equality of states. India is a shining example of this principle.”
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