new Delhi: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in India on Thursday on a two-day official visit and will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi today.
This is Lavrov’s first visit to India since Moscow launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Lavrov will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Friday. However, a media advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Lavrov’s engagements in New Delhi makes no mention of his meeting with Modi.
Lavrov’s visit comes ahead of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India last week and the 2+2 dialogue between India and the US on April 11.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi posted a video of Lavrov’s arrival with the caption: “Welcoming Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov as he arrives in New Delhi for an official visit.”
Agenda of Jaishankar-Lavrov Meet
According to PTI sources, India’s purchase of subsidized Russian crude and implementing a one-rupee-ruble payment system for bilateral trade is expected to be the main focus of his talks with Jaishankar.
India may also press for timely delivery of various military hardware as well as components of the S-400 missile system by Russia.
The Foreign Minister of Russia arrived in New Delhi after his two-day visit to China. In China on Wednesday, Lavrov held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and both sides resolved to strengthen bilateral ties.
Informing the Chinese side of the Russia-Ukraine talks, Lavrov said that Russia is committed to reducing tensions, continuing peace talks with Ukraine and maintaining communication with the international community. The Russian Foreign Minister participated in two multinational meetings on Afghanistan with representatives from Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Lavrov also held meetings with representatives of China and Pakistan and took part in a separate meeting of the “extended troika” with special Afghan envoys from China and the US.