S Jaishankar In Russia, Meets Counterpart Sergie Lavrov: Highlights

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday held talks in Moscow covering a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interests.

Here's what Mr Jaishankar said at the meeting:

* Let me begin by emphasising that India and Russia have a long standing partnership

* India, Russia engage each other in increasingly multi-polar, re-balanced world. We do so as two polities who have had exceptionally steady, time-tested relationship

* Our talks will address the overall global situation as well as specific regional concerns

* There are more perennial issues of terrorism and climate change, both of which have a disruptive impact on progress and prosperity

* Covid, trade difficulties have taken a toll on global economy; we are now seeing consequences of Ukraine conflict on top of that

* Our meeting is devoted to assessing our ties; exchanging perspectives on global situation and what it means to our respective interests

* There have been strong and continuing contacts between our governments at various levels

* For us, Russia has been a steady and time-tested partner. Any objective evaluation would confirm that it has served our countries very very well for many many decades. As regards, the oil supply issue, there is a stress on the energy markets created by a combination of factors. As world's third largest consumer, it is our  fundamental obligation that Indian consumer has the best possible access. In that respect we have seen India-Russia relationship has worked to our advantage.