MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. Russian-Indian relations are based on friendship; there is no scenario in which the paths of Russia and India would diverge, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told RT India in an interview.
"There isn’t just one word for these relations. Not because human languages aren’t rich enough, but because it is hard to imagine a relationship so full and deep," the top diplomat noted in response to a question on the matter. "A situation where our paths diverge simply does not exist - it is unthinkable. We began our conversation with the very foundation of Russian-Indian relations: friendship," Lavrov noted.
According to him, "'Hindi Rusi bhai bhai' (Hindi for 'Indians and Russians are brothers' - TASS) - that’s not just a fun slogan to chant; it has become part of our culture. Indian cinema, Raj Kapoor, more recent television series and films - they are immensely popular in Russia, everywhere, in every corner. The economy, joint energy production, military cooperation, nuclear and other forms of energy, cultural and humanitarian ties, and a high-level political dialogue marked by unprecedented trust - all of it is rock solid," Lavrov emphasized.
According to the Russian foreign minister, the most important thing is how the two peoples feel about one another. "So anyone worried about the future of Russia-India friendship can rest assured. We must always be aware of the threats that some are posing to our relations, trying to undermine them, creating closed structures, and making attempts to impose their own rules on how to deal with Russia. We see all of that, and so do our Indian friends. That makes it all the more valuable that those attempts keep failing," Lavrov concluded.