India, Russia look to finalise new pacts during Putin visit, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov met in Moscow to discuss the upcoming 23rd Annual India-Russia Summit.
• The summit, expected in the first week of December, aims to finalize bilateral agreements, including those on defence and mobility.
• Discussions included the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, and Afghanistan.
• Nikolay Patrushev, a close aide of President Putin, met with NSA Ajit Doval in Delhi to discuss bilateral ties.

Detailed Insights:

• The meeting between Jaishankar and Lavrov, their sixth this year, occurred amid increasing pressure from Washington regarding India's import of Russian oil.
• India has reiterated that its import policies are guided by the objective to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario.
• India supports efforts towards establishing peace and hopes for an early cessation of the conflict in Ukraine.
• The India-Russia relationship is considered a factor of stability in international relations, with growth and evolution in their mutual and global interest.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Bilateral Agreements: Agreements between two countries, covering various sectors like trade, defense, and technology.
• Strategic Partnership: A high-level relationship involving close cooperation on political, economic, and security matters.
• SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation): A Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance.