NEW DELHI, February 4. /TASS/. India is demonstrating a clear intention to further develop its relationship with Russia, Andrey Bystritsky, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Club, told TASS.
"What we are hearing here in India is a consistent emphasis on the need to expand cooperation. There are no doubts about that. The Indian side speaks about it quite confidently," Bystritsky said on the sidelines of the Third Russian-Indian Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club and the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi.
Asked about whether the conclusion of a trade deal between India and the United States, announced earlier this week, could have a negative impact on Russian-Indian ties, Bystritsky said this was unlikely. "I don’t believe it will have a significant negative impact," he noted.
According to Bystritsky, like any country, India has to search for balance and maneuver. "They have their own challenges. But for now, they are generally navigating within a certain corridor and are not stepping beyond it," he said, adding that "it’s a highly volatile time right now and it’s difficult to predict everything."
The annual Russia-India Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club is being held for the third time. At the conference, Russian and Indian experts discuss the practical outcomes of recent high-level bilateral contacts, cooperation within the BRICS, prospects for scientific and technological collaboration in high-tech fields, digital ecosystems, and innovations in the military-technical sphere.