Russia, India, China trilateral meet in Bangalore

The ninth trilateral meeting between Russia, India and China (RIC) being held here Tuesday will explore business opportunities in key sectors, including infrastructure and energy, that will be mutually beneficially to the three countries in the region, a senior official said Monday.

"The foreign ministers of RIC countries will discuss trade and business opportunities in infrastructure, energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and nanotechnology for mutual benefit," external affairs ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told reporters here.

Briefing the media on the trilateral meeting in which External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will participate, Prakash said the trio will exchange views on regional and international issues as well.

"Some of the global issues on the agenda are climate change, world trade and the global financial crisis from which the world is gradually emerging," Prakash noted.

The three foreign ministers will sign a joint declaration after the two-hour long meeting, which will also focus on collaborating to consolidate the structure for a greater role in world affairs.

The trilateral meeting is a useful forum for political exchange on regional and international issues. The three countries account for 20 percent of the global land mass and 39 percent of the global population.

The interaction is being held in the backdrop of bilateral meetings Krishna and Lavrov had during the 15th session of the Indo-Russian inter-governmental commission in Moscow Oct 21 and between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at Han Hin in Thailand Oct 24 on the margins of Indo-ASEAN summit.

"The RIC process also encourages academic exchanges. India enjoys most important and time-tested relations with Russia based upon mutual trust, continuity and understanding," Prakash said.

"Similarly, there is a national consensus in India and China to preserve and strengthen the fundamentals of the relationship between the two countries. We are in the process of consolidating the strategic partnership established in 2000."

"The objective of the bilateral talks is to take forward the relations between the two countries in every direction. Both sides underscore the importance of better understanding and trust at the political level so that the relations remain broader and strong," the spokesman noted.

"India and China have also agreed that neither side should let differences act as an impediment to the growth of functional cooperation between the two countries. The partnership is in the interest of the region and the world," he said.

Later in the evening, Indian and Chinese foreign ministers will hold bilateral talks on several issues, including differences between the two countries.

The unresolved border dispute, the on-and-off Chinese intrusions into Indian territory, China's objection to Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh early this month and to the upcoming visit of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to the border state Nov 8 are expected to figure prominently in the bilateral talks between Krishna and Yang.

As India's IT capital, Bangalore is holding such a major international meeting 23 years after it played host to the second South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit in November 1986 under then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

fc/rn/vt

( 530 Words)

2009-10-26-21:07:16 (IANS)

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