Visit of Foreign Secretary Mrs. Sujatha Singh to the Russian Federation, 15-17 April 2014
Foreign Secretary of India Mrs. Sujatha Singh is on a bilateral official visit to Moscow from 15-17 April 2014. She co-chaired the India-Russia Foreign Office Consultations (FoCs) with her counterparts, H.E. Mr. Vladimir Titov, First Deputy Foreign Minister (FDFM) of the Russian Federation and H.E. Mr. Igor Morgulov, Deputy Foreign Minister (DFM) on 16 April 2014.
During the FoCs, the Foreign Secretary had detailed discussions with FDFM Titov and DFM Morgulov on a variety of matters of bilateral and international interest. Both sides discussed implementation of decisions reached at the last summit held in Moscow in October last year, preparations for the bilateral annual summit to be held in India later this year, preparations for the next BRICS Summit in Brazil and also the calendar of important high-level visits and consultations this year. Other bilateral issues discussed ranged from cooperation in trade and investment, civil nuclear energy, hydrocarbons, defence, space, tourism exchanges and intensified cultural cooperation, all of which contribute to the close bilateral relationship. Discussions on international issues covered India’s and Russia’s neighbourhood as well as other major international developments relating to Iran, Afghanistan, the Korean Peninsula, Syria and on multilateral issues like UNSC reforms, BRICS, RIC, SCO and Asia-Pacific Security.
The Russian side conveyed its perspectives on the ongoing developments in Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary reiterated India’s position calling on all sides to exercise restraint and work together constructively to find political and diplomatic solutions that would safeguard the legitimate interests of all sections of Ukraine’s population, of all countries in the region and of long term peace and stability in Europe and beyond. The two sides expressed the hope that the talks involving Russia, Ukraine, US & EU in Geneva on 17 April 2014, would make a positive contribution in this direction.
