Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will arrive in India on December 5 to take part in the maiden India-Russia 2+2 dialogue.
Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and Lavrov will be in New Delhi for a joint 2+2 conversation with their Indian counterparts, Rajnath Singh and S. Jaishankar.
The two countries are set to take the next big step in their bilateral ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
The day will begin with a meeting of the Indo-Russian Intergovernmental Commission, which will be headed by Rajnath Singh and Gen. Shoigu,
Highly placed sources told IANS that the day will begin with a meeting of the Indo-Russian Intergovernmental Commission, headed by Rajnath Singh and Shoigu.
Discussing a roadmap to bolster military ties between the two countries will be on cards during this meet.
This will be followed by comprehensive 2+2 talks, where Singh and Jaishankar will jointly meet Shoigu and Lavrov.
These two high-profile meets will set the stage for the summit between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President. The 21st bilateral summit meeting comes at a time when speculations are rife about the potential thaw in Russia-US ties.
Putin’s visit will provide an opportunity for both countries to counter negative narratives about Indo-Russia ties.
President Putin and Prime Minister Modi have been in regular telephone contact on bilateral and global issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Russian President had recently said that Moscow regards New Delhi as one of the strong independent centers of a multipolar world with a foreign policy philosophy and priorities that are close to “us”.
Meanwhile, the Indian government’s approval for the production of over five lakh AK-203 assault rifles at Korwa in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh ahead of Putin’s visit is a testimony to the deepening ties between the two countries in the defence sector.
The 7.62 X 39 mm caliber AK-203 Rifles will replace in-service INSAS Rifle inducted over three decades back.
