External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday reiterated India’s commitment to nurturing its ”deep-rooted” friendship with Russia while his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin is set to visit.
Addressing the “Russia and India: Toward a New Bilateral Agenda” conference in Moscow via video conferencing, Mr Jaishankar said India is looking forward to exploring new frontiers for cooperation with Russia.
”India and Russia have set an ambitious target of increasing bilateral trade to USD 100 billion by 2030. Investments by the two sides in each other’s economy continue to grow,” he said.
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The Indian minister noted that energy, defence and civil nuclear cooperation have traditionally dominated the economic engagement between the two countries. Trade, technology, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and digital economy are emerging as new areas of bilateral cooperation, he said.
Mr Jaishankar said that through every shift in realignment, the two countries have demonstrated an exceptional ability to adapt and find new opportunities for mutual benefit and to contribute to regional and global stability and prosperity. The relationship between the two nations continues to expand and deepen in the backdrop of a dynamic world order, he added.
The Russian foreign minister, in his remarks, said India is currently making arrangements for the visit of the Russian President.
He said President Putin will be visiting India following an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ”President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to visit from the Indian head of government. A visit by the Russian head of state to the Republic of India is currently being prepared,” Mr Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian News Agency Tass.
