Ahead of Russia’supcoming Presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month,India and Russia on Monday held consultations on the UNSC issues during the visit ofAmbassador Sergey Vasilyevich Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (DFM) of the Russian Federation. The discussion came in the backdrop of tensions between Russia and Ukraine over possible eastward expansion by NATO.
“The Russian delegation briefed India on its priorities during the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly. Both sides also agreed to work closely together, given the common challenges faced and in keeping with their long standingspecial andprivilegedstrategicpartnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Both sides held wide-ranging discussions on issues on the UNSCagenda and related developments. They agreed to deepen cooperation on issues of mutual interest at multilateral platforms.India has maintained a cautious position over the military tension bordering eastern Ukraine where Russia has rushed around a lakh additional soldiers and heavy armaments in the past weeks.
Official spokesperson of the Ministry Arindam Bagchi said last week India supports “peaceful resolution”of the crisis through “sustained diplomatic efforts”. Apart from close strategic ties with both Russia and Ukraine, India is also concerned about the wellbeing of a large number of its citizens who are resident in Ukraine.
