India-Russia ties steadiest after World War II, says S Jaishankar

Jaishankar also underlined the importance of sustaining energy cooperation between the two nations through trade and investments

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that India and Russia have been “the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War,” underlining the long-standing and resilient partnership between the two countries.

 

He also underlined the importance of sustaining energy cooperation between the two nations through trade and investments. India has been slapped with a 25 per cent additional tariff by US President Donald Trump over its purchases of Russian crude, which he alleged was helping Russia finance its conflict with Ukraine.

 

Jaishankar's remarks came during a joint press briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow as part of his three-day visit to Moscow.

 

"We reaffirmed our shared ambition to expand bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable manner, including by increasing India’s exports to Russia," Jaishankar said, adding, "This requires swiftly addressing non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments. Enhancing Indian exports to Russia in sectors like pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and textiles will certainly help to correct the current imbalance."

 

"Our defence and military technical cooperation also remains robust. Russia supports India's 'Make in India' goals, including joint production and technology transfer," Jaishankar added.

 

He further said that the opening of new Indian consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg was also discussed during his meeting with Lavrov, adding that these missions would strengthen regional outreach and enhance trade as well as people-to-people ties.

 

Among other issues, the EAM also discussed the matter of Indians serving in the Russian Army.

 

"I took up the issue of Indians serving in the Russian Army. While many have been released, there are still some pending cases and some missing persons. We hope that the Russian side would expeditiously resolve these matters," he said.

 

The development also comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on August 18, said he received a phone call from his “friend” Russian President Vladimir Putin, who shared insights from his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska. The two leaders are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China’s Tianjin on August 31 and September 1.