Jakarta, 07 Sept : External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar held a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday.
Both leaders met and held talks on a wide range of issues on the margins of the 18th East-Asia Summit held in Indonesia. For the summit, EAM Dr. S Jaishankar accompanied PM Modi while FM Lavrov led the Russian delegation.
Talks Focused:
With the major focus on India-Russia bilateral and multilateral cooperation, the two also deliberated on East Asia Summit and G20 issues during the meeting.
“Good to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia in Jakarta on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit. Useful stoctaking of our bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Discussed East Asia Summit and G20 issues,” EAM Dr. S Jaishankar said.
Further detailing the discussion held, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, “They discussed practical steps to further develop trade, economic and energy cooperation as well as interaction in the fields of transport and finances.”
“Mutual intent to increase coordination in multilateral formats, primarily at the UN as well as within the SCO, BRICS and the G20 platforms, was emphasized,” the statement added.
FM Lavrov will lead Russian delegation for G20
It is pertinent to note that the high-level meeting between the two foreign ministers came just days ahead of the Russian Foreign Minister’s visit to New Delhi, India, for the G20 Summit to be held on September 9–10.
Lavrov will attend the G-20 Summit in India in the absence of President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, during a telephonic conversation with PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed him of his inability to attend the mega-event.
Earlier, detailing more about the Foreign Minister’s participation in the G20 Summit, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova informed, “Mr Lavrov is expected to speak at two plenary sessions: on September 9, at the One Planet session, focused on sustainable development and stable economic growth; and on September 10, at the One Future session, with an emphasis on the key tasks of democratisation and strengthening the role of the world majority countries in global economic institutions, as well as implementation of the digital transformation.”
