NEW DELHI: Ahead of the India-Russia annual summit next month, the two countries stepped up bilateral engagements with external affairs minister S Jaishankar meeting his counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide Nikolai Patrushev having a meeting with NSA Ajit Doval in New Delhi.At the meeting with Lavrov, Jaishankar said that India-Russia ties have long been a factor of stability in international relations and their growth and evolution is not only in “our mutual interest but also in that of the world”.Jaishankar is in Russia to participate in the SCO heads of govt meeting. He discussed with Lavrov the agenda for the upcoming summit that will likely see Putin travelling to India on Dec 4-5. They also spoke about key regional and global issues.Jaishankar said that a number of bilateral agreements, initiatives and projects in various fields are under discussion ahead of the summit. “We look forward to their finalisation in the coming days. These will certainly add more substance and texture to our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” he said.”We will also be exchanging views on the complex global situation with the openness that has always characterised our ties. This includes the Ukraine conflict, as well as the Middle East and Afghanistan. India supports recent efforts towards establishing peace. We hope that all parties approach that goal constructively. An early cessation of the conflict and the ensuring of an enduring peace is in the interest of the entire international community,” he added.
