To further bolster the strategic partnership between India and Russia, external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar is all set to travel to Moscow later this week.
Though the dates have not been formally announced it is expected that the minister is likely to travel over the coming weekend and the minister will be present through Christmas.
India-Russia Annual Summit
According to reports in the Russian media, due to the busy schedules of leaders of both countries, there will be no India-Russia annual summit.
This year there were several high-level visits from Russia related to SCO meetings as well as G20 under India’s presidency.
India’s G20 presidency welcomed visits from Russia, with Foreign Minister Lavrov and Valentina Matvienko, Head of the Federation Council. Russia’s SCO meetings delegation included Lavrov, Nikolai Patrushev, Alexander Kurenkov, and Sergei Shoigu.
The engagement spans diplomatic, economic, scientific, technological, and cultural realms. The India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission (IRIGC) is pivotal, with IRIGC-TEC led by EAM Jaishankar and Denis Manturov and IRIGC-M&MTC led by the Defence Ministers.
In December 2021, both nations enhanced bilateral ties with the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue. Foreign and defence ministers engaged alongside summit talks between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This strengthened collaboration underscores the multifaceted nature of India-Russia relations, reaching beyond political exchanges to foster meaningful partnerships across various sectors.
Minister Jaishankar had last visited Russia in November 2022 and during that visit, he had discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.