Capetown: On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Jaishankar, who is in town for the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Foreign Ministers Meeting, met with Lavrov on the margins of the event.
Salutations, FM Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in Cape Town this morning for the BRICS FMM. According to a tweet by Jaishankar, their conversation ranged from bilateral issues to those involving the BRICS, G20, and SCO.
The SCO and G20 summits will be held in India in July and September, respectively.
Despite growing unease in the West over the procurement in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in recent months India has become a big importer of discounted crude oil from Russia.
In the past year, India's economic ties to Russia have flourished, partly thanks to its purchase of cheap Russian oil.
India has not yet spoken out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has instead advocated for diplomatic efforts to end the situation.
On Wednesday, Jaishankar said it is still "early days" for conflict resolution between Ukraine and Russia, since issues including a grain corridor, nuclear concerns, and prisoner exchange are now receiving the most attention.
Jaishankar mentioned Narendra Modi's meetings with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with DD India.
Grouping together Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (the "BRICS"), these five developing powerhouses account for 41% of the world's population, 24% of the world's GDP, and 16% of the world's commerce. Additionally, Jaishankar will meet one-on-one with his BRICS colleagues.—Inputs from Agencies
