Last Updated: February 11, 2024, 07:06 IST
Russian envoy to India called for urgent reforms of the United Nations and agencies under it while making a strong case for the inclusion of India as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Russian envoy highlights strong ties with India amid US sanctions threats. Bilateral relations, defence cooperation, and energy collaboration discussed
The Russian envoy to India has asserted that Western nations actively seek to disrupt the longstanding relationship between New Delhi and Moscow. In an interview with the RT news agency on Saturday Denis Alipov said that US officials who come to India do not hesitate to directly state that “they are pursuing the goal of tearing New Delhi away from Moscow.”
“They are even making threats with secondary sanctions. Some Indian partners are forced to exercise caution, sometimes, frankly speaking, excessively, but there are also a significant number of those for whom such an approach is unacceptable,” he said. India and Russia have sustained robust strategic ties for decades, with substantial defence collaboration at the center of their partnership. Following the start of the Ukraine conflict in Feb 2022, India has notably become one of the principal importers of Russian oil in the last 18 months. This stance by New Delhi has often come under scrutiny and criticism from Western media outlets.
When asked how recent conflicts have impacted the India-Russia ties, Alipov said “In India, Russia enjoys a solid reputation as a reliable, sincere, well-intentioned, time-tested friend. Such an image was initially shaped due to the major contribution of the USSR to Indian socio-economic development, and it largely persists to this day.” “Our ties continue to steadily expand in a wide range of areas according to our converging national interests. But unlike our Western partners, we have never conditioned cooperation on politics, have not interfered in domestic affairs, and have always maintained mutually respectful and trusted relationships,” he said.
