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Hailing the G20 communique under New Delhi's presidency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov affirmed Moscow's support for India's candidacy as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
He said that the New Delhi Declaration in September this year perfectly reflected the balance of interest of global powers. "The G20 Summit in New Delhi that took place last year was truly a triumph for Indian foreign policy, the triumph for multilateral diplomacy, and it was possible primarily due to the chairmanship of G20. It didn't allow the final communique to be one-sided, it reflects the perfect balance of interest," Lavrov said while addressing the joint press conference with EAM Jaishankar in Moscow on Wednesday. "This is an example of how G20 and other groups should be working and...this includes the UN and the Security Council. We support India's candidacy for the Security Council," he added. He also said that taking note of multilateral cooperation, Russia supports India's aspiration as a permanent UNSC member along with representatives of Latin America and Africa. Speaking on the bilateral meeting between the two leaders, the Russian Foreign Minister further said that the two leaders discussed energy cooperation and piloted space programmes. "We reaffirmed our aspiration to strengthen energy cooperation. This is a strategic area of our relations. We agreed on the expansion of exports of hydrocarbons to the Indian market as well as cooperation for peaceful use of nuclear energy. First of all, the implementation of the Karnakulam Nuclear Plant project. This is our practical contribution to India's activities and work to satisfy its needs for clean and safe energy produced in the country," Lavrov said. He added, "We have a positive outlook for cooperation in piloted space programmes, as well as rocket engines, satellite navigation systems. We have also touched upon regional and international affairs". External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during his address, appreciated the India-Russia trade, which is at an all-time high, and said that the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union will resume in January next year. The Eurasian Economic Union is an economic union of five post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The five member nations are; Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. He further said that the relationship between New Delhi and Moscow remains very steady, and strong and is based on strategic convergence on geopolitical interests. (ANI)
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