Latest news with #Lavrov
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Senator Mushahid meets Russian FM, lauds Moscow's 'positive neutrality'
Listen to article Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Saturday, thanking Russia for its 'positive neutrality' during the recent tensions between India and Pakistan. The 40-minute meeting, held before the start of the high-level forum, was part of a broader interaction with five prominent Asian leaders from China, Turkiye, South Korea, and Cambodia. Senator Mushahid was the only guest from Pakistan, specially invited by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ruling United Russia party to deliver a keynote address at the forum. Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's foreign policy stance of promoting regional peace, security, and stability. Senator Mushahid appreciated Russia's approach, particularly its balanced response during Indo-Pak tensions, and praised President Putin's Eurasian Security Initiative, describing it as rooted in the principle of 'indivisible security'—a concept also echoed in China's Global Security Initiative. Speaking to Russian media, Senator Mushahid commended the warmth of Russian-Pakistani ties and reiterated Islamabad's support for a multipolar regional order. 'Russia and China, led by President Putin and President Xi Jinping, are building a peaceful and prosperous Eurasia—and Pakistan stands ready to be an equal partner in that journey,' he said. At the Eurasian Forum, attended by over 100 delegates from 25 countries, Foreign Minister Lavrov delivered a hard-hitting policy speech critical of Western alliances in Asia. He directly addressed concerns over India's participation in US-led groupings. Lavrov denounced the Indo-Pacific Strategy, saying, 'This Indo-Pacific had never existed—NATO made up this term to drag India into their anti-China schemes.' His remarks were seen as a rebuke to India's growing role in the QUAD alliance, which includes the United States, Japan, and Australia. Lavrov added that while Indian officials claimed their role in QUAD was purely economic, joint military drills among QUAD nations told a different story. 'In practice, however, QUAD nations are already endeavouring—with notable persistence—to organise joint naval exercises,' he said. The comment drew an uncomfortable silence from the 12-member Indian delegation, including three BJP parliamentarians, present at the forum. Lavrov accused NATO of attempting a return to Afghanistan, warning, 'Four years after their ignominious retreat, NATO is once again seeking new points of entry into Afghanistan.' Senator Mushahid, during his media interactions, voiced full support for Eurasian cooperation and denounced military blocs like the QUAD and the so-called 'Asian NATO' as destabilising ventures. He emphasised Pakistan's commitment to diplomacy, the UN Charter, and regional trust-building. The forum concluded with a strong call from Asian and Eurasian representatives to move away from military containment and towards inclusive, rules-based regional cooperation.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Sergey Lavrov pushes for revival of Russia-India-China troika
Lavrov pushes for revival of Russia-India-China troika (Picture credit: AP) With India having resolved its 2020 border standoff with China in Ladakh, Russia is pushing India to restart the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral mechanism. Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said an understanding had been reached between India and China on how to ease the situation on the border and it's time now for the revival of the RIC troika. "I would like to confirm our genuine interest in earliest resumption of the work within the format of troika - Russia, India, China - which was established many years ago on the initiative of Yevgeny Primakov (former Russian PM), and which has organised meetings over 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at level of foreign policy chiefs, but also heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of three countries," said Lavrov, speaking at a conference, as per Russia's TASS agency. Lavrov is likely to take up the issue with Indian authorities during his upcoming visit to India. As TOI had reported on May 26, the Russian minister is likely to travel to India in June to finalise the agenda for the upcoming India-Russia summit that will see President Vladimir Putin visiting India for the first time since the Russia-Ukraine war started in Feb 2022. The Russian agency also quoted Lavrov as saying that Nato is blatantly trying to lure India into anti-China intrigues. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Egypt: New Small Electric Car For Seniors. Prices Might Surprise You. Electric Cars | Search Ads Undo "I have no doubts whatsoever that our Indian friends, and I say this based on confidential conversations with them, obviously see this trend that can be actually deemed as a large provocation," Lavrov said. India last hosted a meeting of RIC foreign ministers in a virtual mode in Nov 2021. The minister had then pledged to strengthen cooperation under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) saying the group played a constructive role in securing peace and sustainable development, advancing regional cooperation and consolidating ties of good-neighbourliness and mutual trust. While India hasn't taken any decision yet on participation in the SCO summit that China will host this year, Russia is hoping PM Modi will attend the event.
India Gazette
17 hours ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Moscow wants to rekindle Russia-India-China format as NATO fuels discord
The foreign minister has suggested reviving cooperation amid an easing of tensions between New Delhi and Beijing Moscow is interested in restarting cooperation within the Russia, India, and China (RIC) format as NATO countries try to sow discord between New Delhi and Beijing, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Speaking at a Eurasian security conference on Thursday, Lavrov emphasized Russia's "genuine interest" in reviving the RIC trilateral dialogue, citing recent de-escalation along the India-China border as a timely opportunity. "Now that, as I understand it, an understanding is being reached between India and China on how to calm the border situation, I believe the time has come to revive the RIC trio," he stated. China and India have been locked in a military standoff along their disputed Himalayan border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), since a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. They have since held multiple rounds of talks to reduce tensions and, while some areas of friction remain, officials from the two countries have recently reported signs of de-escalation and continued military and diplomatic engagement. In his speech, Lavrov also expressed concern about NATO's alleged attempts to involve India in anti-China strategies. "I have no doubt that our Indian friends - and I say this based on confidential conversations with them - clearly see this provocation," he said. Lavrov previously stated that Western powers were expecting to "make our great friends and neighbors India and China clash." He claimed that this approach was part of a broader agenda to provoke confrontation in the Indo-Pacific and diminish the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the region. His comments come as India has continued to develop its strategic cooperation with Western countries, including by taking part in joint military exercises and signing defense agreements with the US. New Delhi, however, has refrained from joining any formal alliances. India has also maintained strong relations with Russia despite Western pressure related to the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi has opted not to join Western sanctions against Moscow and has expanded economic cooperation, particularly in the energy sector, becoming one of Russia's largest oil buyers. The countries have set a target of boosting trade to over $100 billion by 2030.
News18
21 hours ago
- Business
- News18
Russia Claims Quad Nations Trying To Force India Into Military Alliance: ‘Trying To Involve…'
Last Updated: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov highlighted that Quad member countries were actively pushing for naval and military exercises outside the official Quad framework. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed that India's joined the QUAD alliance, comprising the United States, Japan, and Australia, ostensibly for trade; however, the member nations were reportedly already coordinating naval and other military exercises. 'We spoke to our Indian friends back then and they told us that their interest in joining the Quad is exclusively of trade of economic nature and cooperation in other peaceful areas," he said at a security conference in Eurasia in the city of Perm, as quoted by media reports. He highlighted that Quad member countries were actively pushing for naval and military exercises outside the official Quad framework. Lavrov further warned that these actions were part of a broader strategy to militarise the alliance, adding, 'they try to involve all the four countries into these exercises. And I'm sure that our Indian friends, they can see this provocation clearly." He also called for reviving the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral format. He said the 'time has come" to restart RIC meetings, adding that, in his view, India and China have reached an understanding on easing border tensions. 'I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika — Russia, India, China — which was established many years ago on the initiative of (ex-Russian prime minister) Yevgeny Primakov, and which has organised meetings more than 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at the level of foreign policy chiefs, but also the heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of the three countries," Lavrov was quoted as saying by TASS. The RIC platform, originally launched in the late 1990s, has remained dormant since the deadly Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in June 2020. While Russia had hinted at trilateral engagement during the BRICS Summit in Kazan in 2024, Lavrov's latest pitch marks the most explicit call to formally revive the RIC mechanism since Galwan. Lavrov's renewed pitch signals much more than just a procedural revival — it reflects Moscow's shifting diplomatic calculus amid changing global alignments. Earlier, Lavrov had alleged that the West is attempting to create a rift between India and China to foster antagonism between the neighbouring countries. While speaking at a meeting of a diplomatic club, he had asserted that Western strategies in the Asia-Pacific region are designed to fuel tensions between the two Asian nations. 'Take note of the current developments in the Asia-Pacific region, which the West has started calling the Indo-Pacific region to give its policy a clear anti-China orientation — expecting thereby to additionally clash our great friends and neighbours India and China," Lavrov had said. First Published:
India Gazette
21 hours ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Russia seeks improved India-China ties amid NATO 'provocations'
The foreign minister has suggested reviving cooperation amid an easing of tensions between New Delhi and Beijing Moscow is interested in restarting cooperation within the Russia, India, and China (RIC) format as NATO countries try to sow discord between New Delhi and Beijing, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Speaking at a Eurasian security conference on Thursday, Lavrov emphasized Russia's "genuine interest" in reviving the RIC trilateral dialogue, citing recent de-escalation along the India-China border as a timely opportunity. "Now that, as I understand it, an understanding is being reached between India and China on how to calm the border situation, I believe the time has come to revive the RIC trio," he stated. China and India have been locked in a military standoff along their disputed Himalayan border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), since a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. They have since held multiple rounds of talks to reduce tensions and, while some areas of friction remain, officials from the two countries have recently reported signs of de-escalation and continued military and diplomatic engagement. In his speech, Lavrov also expressed concern about NATO's alleged attempts to involve India in anti-China strategies. "I have no doubt that our Indian friends - and I say this based on confidential conversations with them - clearly see this provocation," he said. Lavrov previously stated that Western powers were expecting to "make our great friends and neighbors India and China clash." He claimed that this approach was part of a broader agenda to provoke confrontation in the Indo-Pacific and diminish the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the region. His comments come as India has continued to develop its strategic cooperation with Western countries, including by taking part in joint military exercises and signing defense agreements with the US. New Delhi, however, has refrained from joining any formal alliances. India has also maintained strong relations with Russia despite Western pressure related to the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi has opted not to join Western sanctions against Moscow and has expanded economic cooperation, particularly in the energy sector, becoming one of Russia's largest oil buyers. The countries have set a target of boosting trade to over $100 billion by 2030.
