Top diplomats and experts from the two nations have gathered in Moscow to work on strengthening cooperation

India and Russia need to explore new ways to deepen their strategic partnership, officials and experts underscored at a high-level conference held in Moscow on Thursday. The event, titled Russia and India: Towards a New Bilateral Agenda, was organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) with support from the Indian embassy, and highlighted that while there are synergies between the two countries, more can be done to further strengthen economic ties.

The conference brought together public officials, diplomats, and foreign policy experts from both nations to review bilateral ties and discuss future areas of cooperation to achieve the target of increasing bilateral trade to $100 billion in the next five years, as agreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Moscow in July 2024.

Russia's growing rift with Western nations, especially since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, and the imposition of unprecedented sanctions aiming to cut Moscow off from global financial and trade systems, has led to expanded ties with several nations in the Global South, including India.

"Our trade turnover skyrocketed. We have achieved levels which we couldn't have imagined before. Energy is one of the driving forces, along with the traditional spheres of our cooperation, such as nuclear energy, military-technical cooperation. Food security is also a very prospective field," said RIAC director-general Ivan Timofeev. He suggested that the two countries would continue to develop political and especially economic ties due to their "mutual complementarity."

According to Pankaj Saran, former ambassador to Russia and convenor of NatStrat, a Delhi-based independent center for research on strategic and security issues, while cooperation at the government-to-government level is strong, there is limited awareness between Indian and Russian entrepreneurs. "We have to address that. We just have to make sure people know each other - people who matter. Business startups, investors, academics - so much more people-to-people exchange, many more flights, more exchanges. That's how awareness will grow," he told RT.

Kanwal Sibal, former Indian foreign secretary and ambassador to Russia (2004-2007), said India is closely following the ongoing talks between Moscow and Washington on a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. He added that once a solution is achieved and ratified by the United Nations, India could play a credible role as a peace monitor in Ukraine.

Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrey Rudenko, speaking to RT on the sidelines of the conference, said Moscow appreciates India's position on the Ukraine issue. "It is a well-balanced and calibrated position. India calls for a peaceful resolution with the involvement of all parties and proposals. We are very grateful," he said.

Rudenko also welcomed progress in India-China relations and said Russia supports reviving the Russia-India-China (RIC) dialogue format. "It is a very important platform where India and China, with Russia's participation, can discuss global and regional issues," he said.

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(RT.com)