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Russia eyes reboot of RIC trilateral diplomacy as India-China tensions ease
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the stalled work of the Russia-India-China troika could be restarted as the tension between New Delhi and Beijing has eased 'significantly'. read more
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday said that the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral dialogue could resume, citing easing tensions between New Delhi and Beijing.
Speaking at the 'Forum of the Future-2050' conference, Lavrov highlighted that the RIC platform—largely dormant since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops could be the first step towards pan-Eurasian processes, including the formation of a multi-polar architecture.
He said ongoing discussions with both Chinese and Indian counterparts are underway to restart the foreign ministers' meetings under the RIC framework.
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'I really hope that we will be able to restore the work of the Russia-India-China trio. We have not met at the level of foreign ministers for the last couple of years, but we are discussing this issue with my Chinese colleague and with the Indian head of the External Affairs department,' Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russia's state-run TASS news agency.
Lavrov said that Russia and China can and should play a leading and proactive role in the pan-continental process, including in the formation of a multi-polar architecture, and added that the restoration of the RIC format could act as the first step towards this.
'I really hope that now that the tension has eased, in my opinion, has eased significantly on the border between India and China, and the situation is stabilising, there is a dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing, we will be able to resume the work of this Russia-India-China trio,' he added.
'This will also be a very important step forward in the movement of continental processes,' he added. The two-day forum inspired by Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, often dubbed as President Vladimir Putin's 'guru', has attracted young participants. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's father Erol Musk is also attending the forum.
With inputs from agencies
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