Table of Contents
What has happened?
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was in New Delhi for an official visit on Friday.
- The visit came at a time when Russia has been at the receiving end of widespread criticism over the invasion of Ukraine.
- During his visit, Lavrov met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him on the situation in Ukraine, including the ongoing peace negotiations.
- The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has afforded Russia’s foreign minister the honour of a meeting as Sergei Lavrov praised India’s refusal to condemn the Ukraine invasion.
- Lavrov, who is visiting the country, predicted Moscow and Delhi would find ways to circumvent western sanctions and continue to trade.
- Modi had not met the string of other foreign ministers to arrive in Delhi in recent days, including the UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, and the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi.
- “Prime Minister reiterated his call for early cessation of violence and conveyed India’s readiness to contribute in any way to the peace efforts.
- The Russian Foreign Minister also updated the Prime Minister on the progress of decisions taken during the India-Russia bilateral Summit held in December 2021,“ A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
Jaishankar-Lavrov meet
- Earlier in the day, Sergey Lavrov and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar were part of a closed-door meeting of Russian and Indian delegations at Hyderabad House in the national capital.
- “EAM underlined that as a developing economy, global volatility in different domains is of particular concern to India.
- It is important for both countries that their economic, technological and people-to-people contacts remain stable and predictable,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
- Referring to Ukraine, EAM Jaishankar emphasised the importance of cessation of violence and ending hostilities.
- Differences and disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and by respect for international law, the UN Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, he said.
- Prior to the meeting, Lavrov had said during a special briefing that developing strategic partnerships with India has been Russia’s priority, adding that the two countries have “intensified“ their bilateral context.
What about pressure on India from west?
- Asked about pressure on India from the US and European countries to downgrade ties with Russia, Sergey Lavrov said, “I have no doubt no pressure will affect our partnership… They [US] are forcing others to follow their politics.“
- “I cannot imagine that India is taking some stand because India is under some kind of pressure.
- We respect India’s stand, its concentration on basic principles, namely that Indian foreign policy is based on its national interest,” he added.
rupee – Ruble system
- On whether India and Russia are trying to work out a Ruble-Rupee system to conduct bilateral trade, Lavrov said, “We have to find ways to bypass impediments. Efforts to move away from the dollar to the national currency will intensify.“
- He also said that the Kremlin is ready to supply India with any goods which it wants to buy from Russia.
On Ukraine war
- “You called it a war, which is not true. It is a special operation, military infrastructure is being targeted. The aim is to deprive the Kyiv regime of building the capacity to present any threat to Russia,“ Lavrov told one reporter in response to a question about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- He added, “Negotiations will continue. You heard from our negotiators about the last round of negotiations in Istanbul, where the Ukrainian side put on paper their understanding of the agreement that has to be reached. These agreements should be finalised. We are coming up with a response.”
- “So, there is certainly progress with regard to admitting the inadmissibility of Ukraine being part of any bloc … it is about their neutral status.
- That is already a necessity. Now, we have found an agreement with another reality … situation with Crimea and Donbas… we are working on that, and we will announce it.”
conclusion
- Prime Minister Modi has held phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, March 2 and March 7.
- Modi had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy twice.
- Last week, Jaishankar said in Parliament that India’s position on the Ukraine conflict has been “steadfast and consistent” and that it has been seeking immediate cessation of violence.
Q) Which strait divides Europe from Africa?
- Bosporus
- Bering
- Gibraltar
- Dover
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