NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar along with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov hailed "very steady and strong" New Delhi-Moscow relations, stating that the ties are based on strategic convergence and geopolitical interests and that they are mutually beneficial.

Jaishankar at a joint press briefing with Lavrov said that both sides had a "very good session of talks".

“I think today what clearly came out was that India-Russia relations remain very steady, remain very strong, they are based on our strategic convergence, on our geopolitical interests, and because they are mutually beneficial,” he said.

“For us, Russia is a valued partner, a time-tested partner. It is a relationship from which both India and Russia have benefitted enormously,” Jaishankar said while responding to a question.

“My presence here today and the fact that all the developments that I have pointed out including our growing trade, investments, our military-technical cooperation, our connectivity projects, I think all of this will give you a good sense of the importance and value that we attach to the relationship,” he added.

Talking about the North-South transport corridor, Jaishankar said that it was in the interest of the entire global economy. “It is in our interest and not just in our interest, I think in the interest of the global economy that this corridor progresses. And we will give it the highest priority,” he said responding to another question.

Jaishankar, further highlighting the significant progress made, said that the bilateral trade had surpassed USD 50 billion.

He also emphasised the potential for further growth and the need to provide trade ties with a more sustainable character.

“We appreciate the fact that our trade is at an all-time high. We crossed $50 billion turnover last year. We expect to exceed that this year. And what is important is that this trade is more balanced. It is sustainable, and it provides for fair market access,” Jaishankar said.

He further said that the two countries also discussed cooperation in their relationship with the Russian Far East.

He said that he expects a delegation from the Far East to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat meeting in January.

“We discussed long-term arrangements. We are today, in our trade, energy, fertilizers, and cooking coal are very big components of that. How do we reach long-term arrangements in that regard was a big part of our discussion. We discussed mutual investments, and the need to progress on a bilateral investment treaty,” he said.

“We spoke about railways yesterday, about industrial zone infrastructure. And we have agreed that the negotiations between India and the Eurasian Economic Union for a free trade agreement will be resumed in the second half of January this year,” he said, referring to his meeting with the co-chair of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, on Tuesday.

He also underlined the discussions held taking into consideration Indian investments in Russia, in oil and gas, which he said India was seeking to expand.

“We also spoke about connectivity; connectivity from western India through the International North-South Transport Corridor. Also connectivity from eastern India, from Chennai to Vladivostok and the polar route. We discussed various related areas where India’s polar capabilities could be enhanced in collaboration with Russia,” he added.

He then said that civil aviation and tourism were also touched upon during the discussions between both sides. “We would like to see more Russian tourists in India. We have increased the number of flights from India every week, from 52 to 64. We are open to increasing it further.”

Lavrov said that the ties between both countries are based on mutual respect and that it was good to see that the relations were consistently making progress.

“We express our heartfelt gratitude to our Indian counterparts for their aspiration to take a responsible approach in considering and resolving regional and global issues, primarily focusing on national interests, the interests of equal and fair international cooperation. This approach is also characteristic of India’s position on the ongoing processes in and around Ukraine, and we have also talked about it,” Lavrov said.

He further lauded India's G20 presidency, adding that Russia backed India’s candidacy for the UN Security Council. 

“The New Delhi G20 Summit that took place last year was a true triumph of India’s foreign policy; it was a triumph of multilateral diplomacy, which has become possible, to a decisive degree, because the G20 Chair did not allow making the outcome document unilateral. The outcome document reflects the balance of interests,” he said.

Jaishankar, earlier on Wednesday (Dec 27), held wide-ranging talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow where he said that the relations between both countries reflect geopolitical realities, strategic convergence and mutual benefit.

Jaishankar and Lavrov also exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific region, conflict in Ukraine, the ongoing situation in Gaza, Afghanistan and Central Asia, BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, G20 and UN-related matters.

"A wide-ranging and useful meeting with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. As strategic partners, (we) discussed the international situation and contemporary issues," Jaishankar said in a post on X.

He further said that both sides noted the progress in economic cooperation, energy trade, connectivity efforts, military-technical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

“Signed Protocol on Consultations for the period 2024-28. India-Russia relations reflect geopolitical realities, strategic convergence and mutual benefit,” he added.