India and Russia During Putin’s brief visit on Monday evening, 28 agreements were signed, 9 of which were between the two governments and the rest business-to-business. Confirming that supplies of the S-400 air defense system under a “legacy contract” had begun, and would continue, the government also said that both India and Russia followed independent foreign policies and that no There was no discussion. Threats of US CAATSA sanctions during summit.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla Said that during the talks, special attention was given to combating terrorism and also highlighted the special mention of Lashkar in the joint statement in the context of terrorist threat from Afghanistan. The joint statement, titled Partnership for Peace, Progress and Prosperity, said, “The leaders emphasized that the territory of Afghanistan should be used for harboring, training, providing shelter to any terrorist group including ISIS, Al Qaeda, Lashkar, etc. should not be used for planning or financing.” Asked whether border concerns related to China were raised or not, the government said all issues in the Indo-Pacific and India’s security concerns were discussed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Praising India for not listening to America on this issue, said that the S-400 deal is being implemented. “We saw efforts on the part of the United States to undermine this cooperation and force India to comply with American orders. Our Indian friends explained clearly and strongly that they are a sovereign country and that they would decide whose weapons to buy and Who is going to be India’s partner in this and other areas,” he said.
While differences remained over the Indo-Pacific initiative, Modi and Putin He outlined priorities in Afghanistan, which, he said, included ensuring the formation of a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, providing immediate humanitarian assistance and protecting the rights of women, children and minorities. Is. “The two leaders reiterated their strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan, while emphasizing respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs,” the joint statement said.
Earlier, welcoming Putin, Modi, in his public remarks, said that in the past several decades, there have been many fundamental changes at the global level, and many geopolitical equations have emerged, all of which have remained stable between India-Russia friendship. Is. variable. Both the countries have not only cooperated with each other without any hesitation but have also taken special care of each other’s sensitivities. It is indeed a unique and credible model of inter-state friendship,” Modi said, recalling that both sides had set a target of $30 billion in trade and $50 billion in investment by 2025.
Putin said that Russia is promoting military-technical cooperation with India, as it is not with any other partner of ours. He described the developments in Afghanistan as a matter of great concern.
Talking about terrorism and the focus on Afghanistan, Shringla said both sides had similar views on dealing with groups like Al Qaeda, ISIL and Lashkar. The mention of Lashkar in the context of Afghanistan is significant for India as the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral mechanism lacks consensus on naming terrorist groups as China opposes any mention of groups like LeT and JeM. A recent RIC joint release specifically mentioned ISIL and Al Qaeda but not Lashkar-e-Taiba.
“They reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including its financing, dismantling terrorist infrastructure and combating extremism, to ensure that the Afghanistan will never be a safe haven for global terrorism.”
The two leaders also “highly appreciated” the finalization of the roadmap for talks between India and Russia on Afghanistan, which, according to the joint statement, marks the convergence of views and interests of both sides. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested after the inaugural 2+2 talks that India and Iran could be included in the expanded Troika on Afghanistan.
While Russia again expressed serious concern over the Indo-Pacific and Quad initiatives, according to India there was a realization that the two sides were already working together in the region as the Chennai-Vladivostok corridor.
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