NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay a five-day visit to Russia beginning Monday to discuss various bilateral and global issues.
Jaishankar will travel to Moscow as well as St.Petersburg, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday, announcing the trip.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Russia from December 25 to 29 as a part of the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two sides, it said.
This is the second year in a row that there hasn’t been an India-Russia Summit.
"During the visit, Dr Jaishankar will meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry, Denis Manturov, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. There will be discussions on bilateral issues, multilateral issues and international issues. The focus will also be on the strong people-to-people and cultural ties between the two nations. Dr Jaishankar will have meetings in Saint Petersburg and Moscow,’’ according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"The time-tested India-Russia partnership has remained stable and resilient and continues to be characterized by the spirit of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership," it said.
The MEA said the external affairs minister will meet Russia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov to discuss matters related to economic engagement.
It added that Jaishankar will also hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for discussion on bilateral, multilateral and international issues.
"Focusing on the strong people-to-people and cultural ties between our two countries, the external affairs minister's programme will include engagements in Moscow and St.Petersburg," the MEA said.
It is learnt that the two sides are expected to discuss various aspects of the bilateral relations, especially in areas of trade, energy, defence and connectivity.
India and Russia’s partnership is a Special and Privileged Partnership. Discussions will likely be held on the expansion of trade in local currencies, investments and enhancing defence partnership.
The bilateral trade between India and Russia during 2022-23 was USD 49.36 billion. Indian exports were $ 3.14 billion while imports from Russia were around $ 46.21 billion. During April-May 2023-24, India’s trade with Russia saw a 161.22 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the last Annual Summit between the PM of India and the President of the Russian Federation was held on December 6th, 2021. That was the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit that was held in Delhi. Russian President Vladimir Putin came to Delhi to attend it and PM Modi was to go to Russia in 2022.
However, the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on February 24th, 2022 led to the Summit being skipped for the second year in a row.
(With inputs from PTI)