Russia, India reaffirm commitment to expand bilateral cooperation

Speaking at the opening of bilateral discussions held on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Thursday, Lavrov said relations between Russia and India continue to deepen across multiple sectors, supported by regular high-level engagement between the two countries, according to a Facebook post by Russian foreign ministry.

He noted that the latest summit between the leaders of Russia and India took place in New Delhi in December 2025, where several important agreements were signed, including the Programme for the Development of Russian-Indian Economic Cooperation until 2030.

Lavrov said bilateral trade between the two countries currently stands at nearly $60 billion and expressed confidence that the target set by the two leaders to raise the figure to $100 billion by 2030 would be achieved.

The Russian foreign minister highlighted the active role of the Russian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, which is jointly overseen by Jaishankar and Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

He said cooperation between the two countries rests on a strong and stable foundation that allows long-term planning and delivers tangible outcomes in different sectors.

Lavrov also emphasised the importance of continued engagement between the foreign ministries of both nations, describing their latest meeting as another example of close diplomatic coordination.

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Apart from bilateral cooperation, he said Russia and India continue to work closely within multilateral platforms including BRICS, United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and G20.

Lavrov said cooperation between the two countries has become increasingly important amid growing global challenges, adding that collective efforts are needed to address international issues effectively.

He also thanked India for its hospitality and welcomed the opportunity to coordinate approaches on both bilateral and international matters during the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for 14-15 May.