MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. The first meeting of the Russian and Indian foreign and defense ministers is expected to take place in Moscow in mid-November, Indian Ambassador to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma said in an interview with TASS prior to wrapping up his tenure in the Russian capital.

"And I think the 2+2 dialogue will be a very important addition to the architecture of dialogue that you have rightly pointed out already exists. The dialogue is expected to take place in Moscow, possibly by mid-November," the ambassador said.

He drew attention to numerous new trends affecting strategic stability at the regional and global levels, which emphasizes the importance of continuing the Russian-Indian dialogue in different formats. "It is always important for friends like India and Russia to have an additional level of consultations, an additional platform of consultations. For example, India and Russia can have more focused cooperation in Central Asia, in the Indian Ocean region. A number of developments including relating to Afghanistan have created new challenges," the Indian diplomat stressed.

In April 2021, the Russian and Indian leaders agreed to launch a dialogue in the 2+2 format, at the level of the ministers of foreign affairs and defense.

The full text of the interview is available at: https://tass.com/defense/1356659