Jaishankar to pay two-day visit to Moscow next week

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay a two-day visit to Moscow beginning August 27 where he will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and prepare the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Vladivostok for the Eastern Economic Forum scheduled to be held next month.

This will be Jaishankar's first visit to the Russian capital after assuming office in May.

"External Affairs Minister and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take stock of preparations for the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister to Vladivostok to participate in the 5th Annual Eastern Economic Forum as the Chief Guest and the 20th Annual Bilateral Summit between the two countries," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The two foreign ministers will also discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The External Affairs Minister will meet Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov. Both of them will co-chair the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission - Technical and Economic Cooperation, according to the statement.

"During his visit, External Affairs Minister will also participate in Valdai Discussion Club interaction on the theme of India's perspective of the Indo-Pacific," the statement said.