India takes its own decisions and this is its strength, says Russian foreign minister
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking on India's purchase of Russian oil and relations between the two countries, said that Russia fully respects India's national interests and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy. He added that India makes its own decisions and this is its strength.
Lavrov said that India and Russia have a decades-old strategic partnership, which the two countries have now termed a "privileged strategic partnership." He clarified that relations between India and the United States or any other country cannot be a measure of India-Russia relations.
Putin will visit India in December. The Russian Foreign Minister stated that Prime Minister Modi and President Vladimir Putin recently met in Tianjin, China on the sidelines of the SCO summit. He added that President Putin will visit India in December this year. During this visit, issues such as trade, military and technical cooperation, finance, healthcare, high technology, artificial intelligence, as well as cooperation on international forums such as the SCO and BRICS will be discussed.
Lavrov also praised Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, saying that they have regular discussions. Jaishankar will visit Russia this year, and I will visit India. He said that India is a country full of self-respect. Citing an example, he said that when questions were raised about oil imports, Jaishankar clearly stated that if the US wanted to sell oil to us, we could discuss its terms but it was India's decision what to buy from Russia or any other country. Lavrov said that this statement reflects India's independent policy and self-respect.