External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar left for Russia on Tuesday for a three-day official visit to strengthen the enduring India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed.
The visit, which extends until August 21, comes at the invitation of Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.
During his stay in Moscow, Jaishankar will co-chair the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) on August 20. He will also address the India-Russia Business Forum to foster economic and technological collaboration.
The External Affairs Minister will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to evaluate the entire range of bilateral relations and exchange views on major regional and global issues.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the talks, stating that both leaders will focus on key aspects of their bilateral agenda as well as cooperation within international frameworks.
“The visit aims to further strengthen the longstanding and time-tested India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” the MEA stated.
Continuity of High-Level Engagements
Jaishankar’s visit follows National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s recent trip to Moscow, where he held discussions with President Vladimir Putin, First Deputy Prime Minister Manturov, and Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu.
The upcoming talks also build on Jaishankar’s previous engagements with Lavrov, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ meet on July 15 and the BRICS Summit last month, where they discussed bilateral cooperation, West Asia, and multilateral groupings such as BRICS and SCO.
Earlier this year, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri conducted bilateral Foreign Office Consultations in Moscow, reviewing the entire spectrum of India-Russia relations and exchanging views on regional and global issues.
Both sides assessed progress on previous high-level decisions, including the 22nd Annual Summit in Moscow in July 2024, the Kazan meeting during the 16th BRICS Summit, and the 25th IRIGC-TEC session held in New Delhi in November 2024.
In November 2024, Jaishankar and Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Manturov co-chaired the 25th IRIGC-TEC meeting in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit India, and Putin is expected to come, continuing the tradition of annual bilateral summits between the two leaders.
Jaishankar’s Moscow visit underscores India’s commitment to sustaining and expanding its strategic partnership with Russia across political, economic, scientific, and cultural domains.
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