NEW DELHI: India and Russia on Wednesday decided to expand and widen their counter-terror partnership at multilateral fora including the UN riding on their special and privileged partnership.
Vikas Swarup, Secretary ( West), Ministry of External Affairs led the Indian delegation for consultations on UN Security Council related issues with Russian Foreign Ministry officials in Moscow. The Indian delegation also included other officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Moscow.
The Russian delegation was led by Sergey Vasilyevich Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and included other Russian Foreign Ministry officials.
Russian side welcomed India taking up the non-permanent seat at the UNSC for the period 2021-22. Both sides held wide-ranging discussions on issues on the UN Security Council agenda and recent developments.
Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism at multilateral platforms. The Indian delegation briefed Russia on its priorities during its upcoming UNSC tenure and they decided to work closely together, given the common challenges faced and in keeping with their long-standing Special and Strategic Privileged Partnership, officials said.
HISTORY INDIA AND RUSSIA RELATIONS
Indo-Russian relations are the bilateral relations between India and Russia. During the Cold War, India and the Soviet Union (USSR) had strong strategic, military, economic, and diplomatic relations. After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited its close relationship with India which resulted in both nations sharing a Special Relationship. Russia and India both term this relationship as a “special and privileged strategic partnership”. Owing to the bonhomie shared by the countries’ respective leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin, the bilateral relationship has seen further growth and development. An informal meeting between them in 2018 at Sochi helped accelerate the partnership, displaying the role of interaction and cooperation between India and Russia.
