India strongly urges Russia to use diplomacy in Ukraine conflict |
With the Ukraine conflict being a dominant feature in his discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said that the global economy is too inter-dependent not to be impacted by a significant conflict, and the Global South is feeling this very acutely, especially after two years of the pandemic. The Global South refers to the developing and less developed countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Speaking after the bilateral talks, Jaishankar said India “strongly advocates a return to dialogue and diplomacy” and is on the side of “peace, respect for international law, and support for the UN Charter”. Jaishankar offered help in issues including food grains and fertilizer shipments, and support for any initiative that de-risks the global economy. Describing the talks as “very substantial” and “fruitful”, Lavrov said that Russia and India share “close historical links” which are characterized by “mutual respect, self-sufficiency, sustainability to any geopolitical volatility”. Meanwhile, the US State Department said that the messages passed on to Moscow during Jaishankar`s recent visit to Russia are not dissimilar to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said earlier. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said “The messages we heard from Foreign Minister Jaishankar in Russia were not dissimilar in some ways from what we heard from Prime Minister Modi at the United Nations when he made it very clear that this is not an era of war,”. Price emphasised that the US was clear India reaffirms it stands against the Russia-Ukraine war wants to see diplomacy, dialogue, and an end to this war. Price said it was important that the Russians hear that message from countries like India with economic, diplomatic, social, and political might. Responding to India becoming the largest Russian oil customer after China, Price said the US has had a number of high-level engagements with its Indian counterparts in recent weeks.
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