Much expected from India, Russia foreign ministers` meeting |
The world is wondering whether India could offer to broker peace on the Ukraine conflict that has not only once again polarised the world, but the war has also worsened the global recession post the COVID pandemic. India`s geo-political stature is growing and so also its economy. Against this backdrop, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reached Moscow on November 7 on a much-watched and highly anticipated two-day visit to Russia. Jaishankar`s talks with Sergey Lavrov are expected to go beyond the usual and important range of bilateral issues, and the two are expected to exchange views on various regional and international developments. Topping the regional and global agenda is the unending, and perhaps escalating, Russian war with Ukraine. It has pitched US-led western world against Russia. It has also placed India in an uncomfortable, though anticipated, position of condemning war but not castigating Russia openly or during voting on the war in the United Nations. Some feel India is a difficult spot. Some others feel, and many analysts agree, that India seems the only available mediator, potentially, to talk to Russia, and even the West. On the bilateral and global issues, Jaishankar will discuss the prospective energy projects on the Arctic Shelf. The Russian foreign ministry also said that the Asia-Pacific security architecture will be among the main topics of discussion. The Indian External Affairs Minister is also expected to meet Russian Deputy Prime Minister. Dr. Jaishankar will also Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov to discuss the economic cooperation between both countries. The key areas of cooperation with India are the further intensification of the political dialogue in a bilateral format and on international platforms, promotion of economic, financial, energy, military-technical, humanitarian, scientific and technical cooperation. The visit is also significant as it comes a few days ahead of the G20 summit in Bali, scheduled for November 15 &16. India takes over as President of G20 and will determine the agenda of a crucial G20 Summit of country leaders at the time of growing global conflicts and polarisation. Ahead of the visit, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted with emphasis that Russia and India stand for the active form of a more just and equal polycentric world order, adding that the shared thoughts include inadmissibility of promoting the imperialist diktat on the global arena.
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