A conference on Russian-Indian cooperation took place in Moscow. TV BRICS, as an international media partner, summarises the results of the conference.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed the opening session and emphasised the importance of bilateral cooperation.
“Today, Russia and India are developing equal cooperation based on sincere, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests” – Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister.
Moscow and New Delhi adhere to similar diplomatic principles based on taking into account the interests of all states, he said. Lavrov expressed appreciation for their joint work in the UN, BRICS, SCO and G20, and thanked India for its contribution to the preparation of the BRICS summit in Kazan.
The conference featured a plenary session titled “Developing People-to-People Contacts: Meeting of Civilisations” and the participants discussed key areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar noted that the event promoted global and bilateral development and brought together “a constellation of experts under one platform”.
He emphasised the positive developments in India-Russia economic relations over the last two-three years. He said trade turnover could reach US$65-66 billion in 2024-2025 and cooperation is reaching the level of long-term investments by both the government and the private sector.
Kumar also noted the expansion of areas of cooperation. In addition to traditional areas such as energy and pharmaceuticals, projects in the Arctic, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are actively developing.
“We are looking forward to the Russian President’s visit to India. This emphasises the importance of our relationship” – Vinay Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Russia.
Arvind Gupta, former Deputy National Security Adviser and Secretary of Indian National Security Council, responding to a question of TV BRICS, noted the significance of harmonisation of educational standards within BRICS.
“The academic and student exchanges, we should bring in new areas: common standards, recognition of curricula, recognition of mutual degrees, identification of new areas of pedagogy,” he said.
Aleksey Kupriyanov, Head of Centre of the Indo-Pacific Region at the Primakov National Research Institute, in an interview with TV BRICS, stressed that Russian business has been gradually reorienting towards the Indian market in recent years.
“A lot of companies are beginning to realise the need for this and are organising courses where businessmen get basic knowledge about India,” he added.
Ivan Polyakov, Chairman of TV BRICS, spoke about the importance of media cooperation in strengthening ties between the BRICS countries. He emphasised on the fact that TV BRICS is an international media network that operates in six languages and cooperates with more than 100 media entities from 26 countries.
Talking about the cooperation with India, Polyakov mentioned the development of cultural and humanitarian projects such as film festivals in Bangalore and the “My India” programme that is aired on the channel.
He pointed out that TV BRICS supports Russian cinema in India and also promotes science and education, including through the “Modern Russian” programme.
Polyakov stressed the importance of cooperation in the agricultural sphere and the upcoming plans to launch programmes on cereal crops, which is in line with India’s interests in food security.
African Times published this article in partnership with International Media Network TV BRICS
