Jaishankar to hold bilateral talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov
What's the story
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to co-chair the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) in Moscow. The session will take place on Wednesday and is a key part of Jaishankar's three-day official visit to Russia from August 19-21. The visit aims to strengthen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
Trade discussions
Jaishankar to address India-Russia Business Forum
Besides chairing the IRIGC-TEC in Moscow during his visit, Jaishankar will also address the India-Russia Business Forum. The forum will focus on enhancing trade and investment ties between the two nations. The External Affairs Minister's visit comes at the invitation of Denis Manturov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
Diplomatic continuity
Jaishankar's visit follows series of high-level meetings
Jaishankar's visit comes after a series of high-level meetings between India and Russia. The two leaders had met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting on July 15 and at the recent BRICS Summit. Earlier this year, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also visited Moscow for consultations with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.
Upcoming engagement
Possible Putin visit to India on invitation from Modi
The visit also sets the stage for a possible high-level meeting, with Russian President Vladimir Putin likely to visit India on an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasized the strategic importance of Jaishankar's trip in its statement, saying it "aims to further strengthen the longstanding and time-tested India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership."