India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Russia for a 5-Day Visit

By siliconindia  |  Tuesday, 26 December 2023, 08:52:50 AM IST

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Russia for a 5-Day Visit
S Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister (EAM), has begun a five-day visit to Russia. Upon his arrival in Moscow, the capital city, Jaishankar is set to engage in discussions with his counterpart, addressing both bilateral and global issues. "Arrived in Moscow. Look forward to my engagements", Jaishankar said in a post on X.
In November 2022, EAM Jaishankar made his most recent visit to Russia, where he held discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. During the visit, Jaishankar shared a 1962 invitation from the then-Soviet Union, celebrating Yuri Gagarin's historic achievement as the first human in space. Notably, Moscow was also Jaishankar's initial posting as an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer.
During the visit, Jaishankar is also expected to travel to St. Petersburg, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "The time-tested India-Russia partnership has remained stable and resilient and continues to be characterized by the spirit of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership", MEA said in a statement. "Focusing on the strong people-to-people and cultural ties between our two countries, the external affairs minister's programme will include engagements in Moscow and St. Petersburg", added MEA. 
The visit assumes importance as several Russian dignitaries paid high-level visits to India this year, coinciding with New Delhi's presidency of the SCO and G20. During India's G20 presidency, Russia made several visits, with notable figures such as Foreign Minister Lavrov and Valentina Matvienko, the Head of the Federation Council (Upper House of Russian Parliament). The Russian delegation at SCO meetings included prominent individuals like Foreign Minister Lavrov, Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Alexander Kurenkov, the Minister of Emergency Situations, and Sergei Shoigu, the Defence Minister.
In spite of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ties between Moscow and New Delhi have remained robust. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while consistently urging an end to the conflict, has been careful not to strain relations with Moscow through any confrontational remarks, thus upholding a nuanced diplomatic equilibrium.

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