MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will meet in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, as well as security in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Jaishankar arrived in Russia on a five-day visit on Monday. The ministers maintain close contacts and traditionally address a wide range of international and bilateral issues during their talks. Earlier, they met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi and the East Asia Summit in September.

This time, the sides are expected to pay special attention to enhancing cooperation in various spheres and boosting dialogue within the framework of multilateral formats, including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Group of Twenty (G20) and BRICS.

Jaishankar’s working schedule also includes a visit to Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg and a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov.

Crisis settlement

During their talks, the foreign ministers will hold a detailed exchange of opinions and synchronize watches on the issues of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis settlement. Russia consistently advocates a two-state solution to the conflict, calls for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and condemns terrorism in all its manifestations.

The Indian side also supports the resumption of direct negotiations on the issue of creating a "sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within safe and internationally recognized borders."

Apart from the Middle East issues, the ministers are also expected to address the current crisis around Ukraine. They may also discuss the situation in Afghanistan and cooperation on the issue in corresponding multilateral formats.

Trade and national currencies

Despite the West’s anti-Russian sanctions, Russia and India actively develop their trade and economic relations, which, according to experts from the two countries, have a colossal potential.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said India and China had received the signal about the need to reduce dependence from the current system of the global economy and to gradually reduce the share of the US dollar. Against this backdrop, the number of settlements in national currencies is growing rapidly, and Russia’s trade turnover with these states is on the rise.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov may focus on the effort to boost the use of national currencies in bilateral settlments during the meeting with his Indian counterpart. He may also raise the issue of building sustainable transport and logistical corridors, as well as establishing reliable banking and financial ties. Besides, he is expected to raise the subject of cooperation in high-tech industries, such as space and nuclear power, and of joint projects to develop hydrocarbon deposits in Russia’s Arctic shelf and Far East.

Cooperation within BRICS

The priorities of Russia’s presidency and other matters of cooperation are expected to be raised during the meeting between Lavrov and Jaishankar.

Moscow and New Delhi have repeatedly declared their commitment to the multipolar world order, viewing it as an unalienable factor contributing to balance in the present-day global system. In this regard, the two ministers are expected to address ways of assisting countries of the Global South, who are defending their political and economic sovereignty. The influence of the actively expanding BRICS group of nations is growing, and cooperation within this format is becoming more and more important for Russia, India and other member countries.

Russia will assume the rotating presidency of BRICS in 2024, and plans to organize more than 200 events under its auspices. The motto of Russia’s presidency would be "Strengthening Multilateralism for a Fair Global Development and Security." According to Lavrov, Russia plans to negotiate with its BRICS partners a wide range of top-level decisions before the October 2024 summit in its Volga Area city of Kazan.

Russia’s presidency will also pay attention to the implementation of the BRICS economic partnership strategy until 2025 and a plan of action on innovation cooperation in 2021-2024. Apart from that, the focus will be made on efforts to increase BRICS’ role in the international currency and financial system, on the development of interbank cooperation and more extensive use of national currencies in mutual settlements.