Foreign Minister S Jayashankar met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Bali on Friday on the sidelines of the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Conference in the Indonesian city.
Talks with Lavrov included discussions on global issues, including the crisis in Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan, while talks with Blinken focused on “concerted efforts to address the impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine.”
“Meeting with Russian FM Sergei Lavrov next to Bali # G20FMM. Discusses issues of mutual interest. He also exchanged views on contemporary regional and international issues, including the Ukraine conflict and Afghanistan, “Jaishankar tweeted.
A week after the Jayashankar-Lavrov talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation on global power and the state of the food market in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. India has not yet condemned Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and believes that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
Regarding his conversation with Blinken, Jayashankar said, “This time Bali has continued the conversation with @SecBlinken on global and regional issues on # G20FMM. Our relationship today brings us closer to a range of challenges with greater understanding and openness. “
Blinken tweeted, “I met with Indian Foreign Minister rDrSJaishankar today to discuss how we can further strengthen our bilateral partnership, as well as strengthen joint efforts to counter the effects of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
Prime Minister Modi recently met with US President Joe Biden at the G-7 Summit in Germany.
After the talks, the U.S. State Department said Blinken and Jayashankar discussed joint efforts to mitigate the global impact of “Russia’s unpleasant aggression against Ukraine.”
It said Blinken welcomed India’s decision to enrich the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
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In his introductory remarks, Blinken said that food and energy security challenges “have increased dramatically by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine” and even described India as a “great partner” of the United States.
“Of course, we are here together at the G20, an important institution for working together to tackle some of the world’s most significant problems and challenges, as well as the opportunities that are really affecting our human lives,” Blinken said.
The text of the opening remarks was released by the US State Department. “Food insecurity, energy insecurity, climate change – no matter how challenging it may be – but it’s an opportunity for growth, for jobs, for progress, for human life, the G20 is an important institution,” Blinken said. – With PTI input