External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here on Tuesday on a two-day visit to Russia during which he will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and finalise the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visit to the country.
This is Jaishankar’s first visit to Moscow since assuming office in May. His visit comes days ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok from September 4 to 6 where Prime Minister Modi will be the chief guest.
Jaishankar and Lavrov will take stock of preparations for Prime Minister Modi’s visit and the 20th Annual Bilateral Summit between the two countries. They will also discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.
He will also meet Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov and participate in Valdai Discussion Club interaction on the theme of India’s perspective of the Indo-Pacific.
“The (two) sides will pay the highest attention to the preparations for the participation of the official Indian delegation in the fifth Eastern Economic Forum that will be held on September 4-6 in Vladivostok and the organisation of the annual summit,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department said in a statement on Tuesday.
It said the ministers will share their positions on thorny international issues with focus on cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and within the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the RIC (Russia-India-China).
“They will discuss the preparations for Russia’s chairmanship in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), as well as a number of regional scenarios, including the problems of preserving the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) on the Iran nuclear programme, the situation in the Persian Gulf area and in Afghanistan,” it added.