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The heads of the foreign affairs agencies will be discussing the current state of bilateral relations, the planning for the upcoming high-level meeting later this year, including strategies and working together in the fight against the pandemic. They will also consider key topics on the regional, global agenda, assess approaches to the interaction between Russia and India on the international arena, including at the UN, BRICS said Zakharova at a briefing.<\/p>\n
They will discuss the Quad alliance between India, the US, Japan, and Australia, and New Delhi\u2019s proposed purchase of the S-400 air defense system from Moscow, which Washington has not been in favor of India purchasing since former US President Donald Trump\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n
According to official sources, Lavrov will be accompanied by the Russian special envoy to Afghanistan, Ambassador Zamir Kabulov, a crucial move.\u00a0 Earlier this month, Moscow hosted a meeting of the \u2018extended troika\u2019, which included representatives from the US, China, and Pakistan which was targeted to review the intra-Afghan dialogue.<\/p>\n
In this meeting, Kabulov is expected to brief India on the status of the intra-Afghan dialogue, or the negotiations underway between the elected Afghan government and Taliban leaders to establish peace in the country, under the Moscow format.<\/p>\n
Sources reveal that Lavrov\u2019s visit will be followed by a trip by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the annual India-Russia Summit.<\/p>\n
Russia and India have shared a strong partnership over the decades and both countries term this relationship as a “special and privileged strategic partnership.”. … Historically over the decades, the Indo-Russian strategic partnership has been founded on five major components: politics, civil nuclear energy, defense, space, and anti-terrorism teamwork.<\/p>\n