National Security Advisor Ajit Doval Meets Russia Deputy Prime Minister

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and discussed a range of issues relating to the India-Russia strategic partnership.

Denis Manturov, who is also Russia's minister for trade and industry, is on a two-day visit to India, primarily to attend an inter-governmental meeting on trade, culture and science and technology.

People familiar with the meeting between Mr Doval and Mr Manturov said both sides discussed a range of bilateral issues to implement the India-Russia strategic partnership.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Manturov, the co-chairs of the intergovernmental Russia-India commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation, met a group of business representatives from both countries.

A plenary meeting of the intergovernmental commission (IGC) will be held on Tuesday, following which the co-chairs will sign the final protocol of the 24th IGC meeting, he said.

Both sides plan to discuss the "widest range" of issues of bilateral trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation, the Russian official said.

Mr Manturov's visit to New Delhi comes in the backdrop of renewed intensity in India-Russia trade ties, especially New Delhi's procurement of increasing volume of discounted crude oil from that country.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

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