Russia and India highlighted a series of steps to cooperate as part of the North - South corridor start, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, TASS reports.
"We have agreed to day on the whole range of steps making possible for us to broaden cooperation, particularly in the context of the start of the North - South international transport corridor being prepared, creation of the Chennai - Vladivostok route and cooperation on Northern Sea Route development - this is a very promising line," Lavrov said.
Russia, India and Iran signed an intergovernmental agreement on creation of the North - south multimodal transport corridor in 2000. The number of participants expanded to fourteen later. The project goal is to bring transit freight traffic from India, Iran and Persian Gulf countries via the Russian territory to Europe. The project brings together several different transport systems of individual countries at present.
Lavrov says he will discuss with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar ways to better implement the decisions of the two countries' leaders.
"Leaders set the tone for all levels of our relations," Lavrov said, opening talks with his Indian counterpart. "Today we have a very important task - to see what else needs to be done to make the decisions of our leaders implemented even more effectively."
The minister noted the similarity of the two countries' positions on the UN, respect for its charter in its entirety and interconnectedness, as well as the dialogue of states within BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the G20. "The countries are interested in building an international political and economic system that is open and fair for all," he added.
Lavrov pointed out that relations between the two countries are long-standing and friendly. "It is pleasing that they are progressing steadily in modern conditions. We are reliable partners," the minister emphasized.
The Russian minister noted the close cooperation between the two countries' foreign ministries, security councils, parliaments, as well as strong cultural and educational ties. "We have a very rich program of relations that get wide support of our citizens," the minister concluded. Lavrov and Jaishankar also held a private meeting. The conversation lasted about half an hour.
The Indian Foreign Minister arrived in Russia on Monday on a five-day visit.
