News Analysis India

Tag: Russia

  • Afghan soil should not be source of terrorism for other countries: Russia

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Afghan soil should not be a source of spreading terrorism in other countries of the region and both Russia and India have “common concerns” over it in the backdrop of the unfolding situation in Afghanistan, Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev said on Monday.

    Delving into implications of the latest developments in Afghanistan, the Russian envoy also said that there is a danger of the possible spread of terror into Russian territory as well as Kashmir, noting that India and Russia will continue to work together to counter any threat of terrorism.

    Kudashev told PTI in an interview that Russia would like to see an inclusive government in Afghanistan that is able to ensure security, stability and predictability, adding the issue of recognition to any new dispensation in Kabul is not an immediate area of focus.

    The Russian envoy said that there is “ample scope” for cooperation between India and Russia on Afghanistan and both sides have been in regular touch with each other on the latest developments in the war-torn country.

    “Both India and Russia are concerned about the situation in Afghanistan. We want an inclusive government. We want that the Afghan soil should not be a source of terror for other countries in the region,” Kudashev said.

    “These are the very basic values that bring Russia and India together. I do not see much of a difference in our position on Afghanistan,” he said.

    Asked whether Russia is concerned about the possible export of terrorism to Russia from Afghanistan, the envoy said “definitely” and noted that any escalation of the civilian conflict would be detrimental to the regional security scenario.

    “As far as the phenomena of terror are concerned, we do share our concerns with India. There is a danger of terror being spread to the Russian territory and the territory of Kashmir. This is a matter of common concern,” Kudashev said, replying to a question on the possibility of various terror groups operating from Afghanistan shifting focus from the war-ravaged country.

    Asked about Pakistan backing various terror groups operating in Afghanistan and whether they pose a threat to regional security, Kudashev said Russia expects Pakistan to be among the countries that would like to see predictability and a secure environment in Afghanistan.

    There have been mounting concerns in India over the possibility of a rise in activities of various terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

    Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met senior Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai in Doha last Tuesday.

    In the meeting, Mittal conveyed to Stanekzai that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism.

    It was the first publicly acknowledged formal engagement between the two sides.

    Kudashev said tackling the threat of terror has been a matter of continued dialogue between Russia and India under multiple frameworks, including the bilateral mechanism of the counter-terror working group.

    “Counter-terrorism is part of each and every bilateral meeting. Rest assured we know about this danger and we are most willing to cooperate to deal with it,” he said.

    The Russian envoy said his country would like to see the “future in Afghanistan with optimism” and there is a need to give some time to any new dispensation in Afghanistan.

    “We are for an inclusive government in Afghanistan that can ensure sustainable development in the war-torn country. The Afghan people deserve peace, stability, and sustainable development just as any other nation in the world,” Kudashev said.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 24 discussed the developments in Afghanistan over a week after its capital Kabul fell to the Taliban.

    After the conversation, Russia said the two leaders expressed the intention to enhance cooperation to counter the dissemination of “terrorist ideology” and the drug threat emanating from Afghanistan and agreed to form a permanent bilateral channel for consultations on the issue.

    Russia has been a key player in pushing for the Afghan peace process before the Taliban captured power in Kabul.

  • Envoy hopes India backs Russia’s view on Afghanistan

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  As the Taliban move closer to forming the government in Afghanistan, the Russian envoy to India has voiced support for a democratic and neutral government in Afghanistan. He hoped that India, too, would support such a government.

    “Russia is very much committed to a peaceful, democratic and neutral Afghanistan. I believe that India could share these feelings. These feelings reflected in our bilateral cooperation in multiple formats like SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group,” said Russian Ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev, on Friday.

    Ambassador Kudashev said India-Russia friendship is a much needed and almost guaranteed partnership for world peace. “India-Russia friendship is one more guarantee of peaceful and stable development of our countries, of the region and the world. The main feature of our privileged strategic partnership is the peaceful orientation.”

    Before the Taliban seized control of Kabul on August 15, Russia had played a proactive role in the Afghan peace process and hosted the Taliban leaders in Russia. Also, the Russian Embassy in Kabul kept functioning during the tumultuous days. 

    On Friday, while speaking at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope that the Taliban would behave in a “civilised” manner in Afghanistan so that the global community can maintain diplomatic ties with Kabul. “The sooner the Taliban enters the family of civilised people, so to speak, the easier it will be to contact, communicate and somehow influence and ask questions,” Putin said.

    The Russian Ambassador spoke to mediapersons on the sidelines of a commemorative event which he attended with the Vice Chief of the Indian Army, Lt Gen CP Mohanty to honour the Indian Red Star awardees late Havildar Gajendra Singh and late Subedar Narayan Rao Nikkam who were part of the Supply and Transport Company during World War II and contributed greatly to the Russian campaign, which the Russians refer to as the Great Patriotic War.

  • Researchers from BRICS nations to study impact of severe Covid on TB patients

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: BRICS countries are working on a programme to study the impact of severe COVID-19 conditions on tuberculosis (TB) patients, the Department of Biotechnology said on Monday. 

    The SARS-CoV-2 NGS (Next Generation Sequencing)-BRICS consortium is an interdisciplinary collaboration to advance COVID-19 health-relevant knowledge and to contribute to improvements in health outcomes, it said.

    The consortium, comprising researchers from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), will accelerate translation of genomic data from clinical and surveillance samples, the government’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said.

    This will be done utilising high-end genomic technologies, and epidemiologic and bioinformatics tools and this information will be used in diagnostic assays and tracking transmission dynamics of COVID-19 and other viruses, as well as lead to clinical and public health research and interventions, it said.

    “The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with BRICS countries is implementing the SARS-CoV-2 NGS-BRICS consortium and multi-centric programme to study the impact of severe COVID-19 conditions on TB patients,” the DBT said.

    The Indian team has members from the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (Prof. Arindam Maitra, Prof. Saumitra Das, Dr. Nidhan K Biswas), the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (Dr. Ashwin Dalal) and the Indian Institute of Science (Dr. Mohit K Jolly), it said.

    Dr. Ana Tereza Ribeiro de Vasconcelos of Brazil’s National Laboratory for Scientific Computation, Prof. Georgii Bazykin of Russia’s Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Prof. Mingkun Li of China’s Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Prof. Tulio de Oliveira of South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal are the other members of the consortium, the DBT said.

    In a second multi-centric programme, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from India, Brazil and South Africa will investigate the impact of severe COVID-19 on transient peripheral immunosuppression and lung hyperinflammation conditions in TB patients for epidemiology and comorbidity, the department said.

    This team consists of members from the India’s National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis (Dr. Subash Babu, Dr. Anuradha Rajamanickam, Dr. Banurekha Velayutham and Dr. Dina Nair).

    Besides them, the members from Brazil are Dr. Valeria Cavalcanti Rolla and Dr. Adriano Gomes da Silva of the Lapclin-Tb/ INI-FIOCRUZ, Dr. Maria Cristina Lourenço of the LBB/INI-FIOCRUZ and Dr. Bruno de Bezerril Andrade from IGM-FIOCRUZ; and from South Africa are researchers Dr. Bavesh Kana, Dr. Bhavna Gordhan, Dr. Neil Martinson and Dr. Ziyaad Waja of the University of the Witwatersrand, the DBT said.

    “This collaborative study is expected to provide valuable co-morbidity data pertaining to pulmonary TB patients with or without COVID-19 co-infection that is expected to be generated for better disease management,” it said.

    Secretary in the DBT Renu Swarup said the department has taken small steps in the right direction towards collaboration with BRICS countries.

  • External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on three-day visit to Russia from Wednesday

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will embark on a three-day visit to Russia beginning Wednesday to discuss the entire range of bilateral issues as well as key regional and international developments.

    Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic is expected to figure in the talks between Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov besides other issues.

    Earlier, sources said Jaishankar’s visit is aimed at preparing the ground for the annual India-Russia summit and discuss the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan.

    “Discussions are expected to cover the entire range of bilateral issues, including cooperation in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the exchange of views on various regional and international issues,” the MEA said in a statement.

    In the course of his visit from July 7-9, Jaishankar will also meet Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, his counterpart for the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).

    He will also have a meeting with the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky.

    The MEA said Jaishankar will deliver a speech on ‘India-Russia ties in a Changing World’ at the prestigious Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow.

    “The visit will be in continuation of the frequent high-level visits between the two sides. The Russian Foreign Minister had visited New Delhi in April. The visit will further strengthen the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries,” the MEA said.

    The India and Russia annual summit was postponed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Both the countries have a mechanism under which India’s prime minister and the Russian president hold a summit meeting annually to review the entire gamut of ties.

    So far 20 annual summit meetings have taken place alternatively in India and Russia.

    Russia has been a time-tested partner for India and the country has been a key pillar of New Delhi’s foreign policy.

  • External Affairs Minister Jaishankar set to visit Russia this week

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit Moscow this week to prepare the ground for the annual India-Russia summit and discuss the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan, people familiar with the development said on Monday.

    Ways to boost cooperation under the framework of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Cultural Cooperation as well as ties in the defence sector are also likely to figure in his talks in Moscow.

    The external affairs minister is scheduled to hold extensive talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

    The annual India-Russia summit was postponed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Both countries have a mechanism under which India’s prime minister and the Russian president hold a summit meeting annually to review the entire gamut of ties.

    So far, 20 annual summit meetings have taken place alternatively in India and Russia.

    Russia has been a time-tested partner for India and the country has been a key pillar of New Delhi’s foreign policy.

    The people cited above said a key focus area of the discussions will be the evolving situation in Afghanistan in the face of the withdrawal of the US forces from the country.

    Afghanistan witnessed a series of attacks in the last few weeks as the United States looked to conclude the withdrawal of its forces from the war-ravaged country by September 11, ending nearly two decades of its military presence there.

    India is concerned over the increasing levels of violence in Afghanistan as well as the Taliban’s efforts to expand its influence in the country.

    Last month, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the Taliban’s relentless pursuit of power through violence has created an uncertain environment in Afghanistan and the situation in the country is “fluid” at this point in time.

    There has been a renewed push in the Afghan peace process including by Russia and it has been in touch with the key players and stakeholders in that country.

    Lavrov visited India in April during which both sides discussed the preparations for the summit as well as other key bilateral and regional issues.

  • Encouraged by disengagement efforts by India, China: Russia on eastern Ladakh

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Russia on Wednesday said it was following developments at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, and is encouraged by India and China focusing on “disengagement efforts” and to promote constructive dialogue.

    Deputy Chief of the Russian mission Roman Babushkin said Russia encourages both sides to take opportunities in advancing their ties at common multilateral platforms like the BRICS, SCO and RIC trilateral grouping.

    “We are following developments at the LAC. We are encouraged by India and China to consider disengagement efforts in order to promote constructive and forward-looking dialogue which is a very important precondition for regional stability,” he said at a media briefing.

    Both India and China are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa).

    Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev did not give a direct reply when asked whether China’s belligerence in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere figured in the recent talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

    He said the talks were focused on bilateral issues and preparations for the annual India-Russia summit in the second half of the year.

    The talks were focused on an “unifying agenda”, be it bilateral ties as well as multilateral cooperation.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, India and China completed withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February in line with an agreement on disengagement.

    The two sides are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process in the remaining friction points in the region.

    Last week, India and Chinese militaries held their 11th round of talks during which they agreed to jointly maintain stability on the ground, avoid any new incidents and resolve the outstanding issues in an “expeditious manner”.

  • India, Russia discuss defence ties, Afghan peace process, Indo-Pacific

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Russia on Tuesday promised expansion of joint production of weapons systems in India as the two countries held extensive talks covering key areas of bilateral cooperation as well as pressing issues like the Afghan peace process and each other’s outlook for the Indo-Pacific region.

    In their talks, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov also discussed the proposed free trade pact between India and the Eurasian Economic Union.

    People familiar with the discussions said the Indian side apprised the Russian delegation of its views and apprehensions over China’s behaviour in the backdrop of the border row in eastern Ladakh.

    At a press conference with Lavrov, Jaishankar, terming the talks “very warm”, “comprehensive” and “very productive”, said much of the discussions covered the preparations for President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India for the annual India-Russia summit later this year.

    To a question, Lavrov dismissed the possibility of any future military alliance between Russia and China and asserted the cooperation between the two countries was not directed against anyone.

    Referring to bilateral defence ties, Lavrov said Russia was ready for transfer of cutting edge technologies and “additional manufacturing” of weapons systems in India.

    Russia is already part of several joint production of military hardware projects in India.

    “I am sure deepening of military cooperation serves national interests of both the countries. At the same time, we respect the right of Indian friends to diversify ties in this area,” he said and described the outcome of the talks as “satisfactory”.

    Without elaborating, Jaishankar said, “Our defence sector requirements in the past year were expeditiously addressed.”

    Asked whether the issue of the US putting pressure on India to not procure Russian weapons systems figured in the talks, he said it did not.

    He said the US puts pressure on India and any other country that wants to sign agreement with Russia for procuring weapons.

    The Russian foreign minister arrived here on Monday evening on a nearly 19-hour visit amid apparent unease in Moscow over the proactive approach of the Quad member nations, including India, in dealing with geo-political developments in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Lavrov is travelling to Islamabad from India.

    Jaishankar said both nations understand the importance of the India-Russia relationship to global peace, security and stability and that the review of bilateral ties was “really encouraging”.

    “I shared our viewpoint on Indo-Pacific. As our prime minister pointed out at the Shangri-La Dialogue some years ago, contemporary challenges require countries to work together in new and different ways,” Jaishankar said.

    Russia has been critical of the Quad grouping that has been aimed at ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific against the backdrop of China’s growing assertiveness in the region.

    Quad comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia. Lavrov referred to Indo-Pacific as Asia-Pacific and said both sides highlighted the need to preserve the central role of ASEAN in the region.

    He also highlighted the need for interaction among Russia, India and China under the existing trilateral framework.

    At the press conference, Lavrov dismissed suggestions of any future military alliance between Russia and China.

    “We have heard speculation about pro-military alliances not only with respect to Russia and China relations, we have also heard about such alliances allegedly being promoted such as Middle East-NATO, Asia-NATO.

    Today we exchanged views on this and our Indian friends have the same position as we. We believe this is counter-productive,” he said in Russian.

    “We are interested in inclusive cooperation that is for something, not against somebody,” Lavrov said.

    Jaishankar said developments in and around Afghanistan also figured in the talks.

    “For India, what happens in Afghanistan impacts its security directly. I shared our approach that a durable peace there would require harmonising interests of all, both within and around that nation.” “The peace process must be based on foundational principles to which we all subscribe. A political solution should mean an independent, sovereign, united and democratic Afghanistan,” he said.

    The Russian foreign ministry termed the talks “an open-minded exchange of views on most significant issues of the international and regional agenda”.

    It said both sides stated the similarity of approaches to pressing global and regional problems, including a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, the Syrian crisis, the situation around Iranian nuclear programme, as well as a common understanding of the principles of shaping a reliable security architecture in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

    Jaishankar said discussions were also held on trade and investment.

    “We note the appetite for greater investments in each other by both countries. Russian support for our Gaganyaan programme has progressed which we deeply appreciate,” he said, adding the longstanding partnership in nuclear and space sectors figured in the talks.

    “Our rapidly expanding energy cooperation that now includes long-term commitments was also on the agenda.” Lavrov said both sides agreed on the need to galvanise work on renewed intergovernmental agreement on mutual security of investments and settlement of issues relating to national currencies.

    “We have to launch as soon as possible talks on free trade pact between India and the Eurasian Economic Union based on mutual benefit,” he said.

  • India and Russia agree to work closely on key issues at the UN Security Council

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India and Russia have agreed to work closely on key issues at the UN Security Council, in keeping with the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries.

    The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said both sides held bilateral consultations in Moscow on Tuesday on issues which are on the agenda of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

    It said the Indian delegation at the director general-level meeting briefed the Russian side on India’s priorities during its UNSC tenure.

    “Both sides agreed to work closely together on key issues on the UNSC agenda, in keeping with the special and privileged strategic partnership,” the MEA said in a statement.

    India began its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the UNSC on January 1.

    In August, India is scheduled to serve as the president of the powerful UN body.

    The MEA said the two sides appreciated the intensive ongoing bilateral contacts on matters relating to the UN, including with respect to a wide range of issues on the UNSC agenda.

    Last week, India held similar discussions with China.

  • Foreign secretary Shringla to pay 2-day visit Russia from Wednesday

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will pay a two-day visit to Russia beginning Wednesday during which both sides will deliberate on bilateral as well as topical issues of regional and global importance, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.

    It said this year’s first visit abroad by the foreign secretary to Moscow signifies the importance India attaches to its close and friendly relations with Russia.

    The MEA said the two sides will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including the forthcoming high level exchanges, during Shringla’s visit.

    “Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will pay an official visit to Moscow on February 17-18 at the invitation of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov,” the MEA said in a statement.

    “The foreign secretary will hold the next round of India-Russia foreign office consultations with Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov, during which the two sides will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including the forthcoming high-level exchanges,” it said.

    The MEA said both sides will also exchange views on topical issues of regional and international importance.

    The foreign secretary will also deliver a speech on ‘India-Russia relations’ at the prestigious Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it said.

    “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic situation, India and Russia have sustained the momentum of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries,” the MEA said.

  • Russia Covid-19 vaccine: World leaders, health officials have mixed response

    Russia Covid-19 vaccine: Health officials and world leaders have criticised Russia for releasing the vaccine in haste, by rushing through the first two phases of clinical trials.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement Tuesday – on what Kremlin claims is the world’s first vaccine for the novel coronavirus – was met with a mixed response from leaders and health authorities across the globe.

    The vaccine, dubbed ‘Sputnik V’, was granted regulatory approval by Russia’s health ministry even before it cleared a vital last-stage of human trials to establish its safety and efficiency. Health officials and world leaders have criticised Russia for releasing the vaccine in haste, by rushing through the first two phases of clinical trials.

    Responding to Putin’s claim, a spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that “rigorous review” and assessment of the vaccine was needed before the global health body could recommend the use of the Russian vaccine, AFP reported.

    “We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said during an online press briefing. “Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all the required safety and efficacy data.”