India's External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to Visit Russia
Dr. S Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister, is scheduled to undertake a significant diplomatic mission to Russia, with the objective of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two nations. The visit is expected to kick off over the weekend and continue through the Christmas period. EAM Jaishankar's most recent visit to Russia took place in November 2022, during which he held discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.
The forthcoming discussions between Jaishankar and Lavrov are expected to address various bilateral and multilateral topics. India and Russia, as significant participants in international forums like the United Nations, G20, BRICS, and SCO, have consistently worked closely together on global platforms. Notably, this year saw a succession of visits by Russian dignitaries to India, coinciding with India's presidency of the SCO and G20.
India’s presidency of the G20 saw several visits from Russia, including Foreign Minister Lavrov and Head of the Federation Council (Upper House of Russian Parliament) Valentina Matvienko. Russia’s delegation to SCO meetings featured key figures, including Foreign Minister Lavrov, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, Minister of Emergency Situations Alexander Kurenkov, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The extensive engagement between the two nations extends beyond diplomatic discussions to encompass economic, scientific, technological, and cultural cooperation. The India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission (IRIGC) plays a pivotal role in fostering collaboration. The IRIGC has two divisions the Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) led by EAM Jaishankar and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, and the Military & Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) headed by the respective Defense Ministers.
In December 2021, the two nations enhanced their bilateral collaboration through the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue, which involved discussions between the foreign and defense ministers of India and Russia, in conjunction with summit-level talks between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
