NEW DELHI, March 14. /TASS/. The strength of Russian-Indian relations is a thorn in the side of the West, which can do nothing to change the situation, Russian Ambassador to New Delhi Denis Alipov said in an interview with TASS.

"The strength of Russian-Indian relations sticks in the craw of the West. But there is nothing it can do about it. First of all, because, unlike in our case, it is the Western countries' relations with India that used to be and are often still tainted with mutual distrust and suspicion, double standards and interference in internal affairs," the diplomat said.

He emphasized that India is an emerging global power with huge staying power and a huge market. According to Alipov, to ensure sustainable growth and dynamic development, this country pursues a diversified foreign policy in its national interests. At the same time, it is open to mutually beneficial cooperation with everyone, the ambassador noted.

"Russia has never prevented this - these are not our methods. Such methods are used by the West, and openly: unfair competition, threats of secondary sanctions, political pressure. Just take American officials acknowledging that Washington's goal is to drive Russia out of India. And then they themselves wonder why India shows reluctance," Alipov added.

"The way the Indian people see it - as evidenced by recent opinion polls - Russia remains a reliable and time-tested friend of India. According to Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, relations with Moscow are a constant for New Delhi. Our cooperation continues to develop steadily both in traditional areas - energy, atom for peace, military-technical cooperation, space, science, education, healthcare, culture, tourism, - and in such new, key areas as fintech and artificial intelligence," the diplomat stated.