S Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov meet, discuss BRICS, SCO Summit agenda

Foreign minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Thursday held a comprehensive review of bilateral and global partnership ahead of the SCO Summit on July 4 and BRICS Summit at the end of August.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said, "Good to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia in Cape Town this morning on BRICS FMM sidelines. Our discussions covered bilateral matters, BRICS, G20 and SCO."

'This was their second meeting in less than one month, earlier being in Goa on May 4 ahead of the SCO Foreign Ministers meet.


Jaishankar also met his counterpart from Saudi Arabia and BRICS host country South Africa. "A warm meeting with FM Naledi Pandor of South Africa. Thank her for hosting us in the Indo-Atlantic city of Cape Town.

"Reviewed the progress of our strategic partnership and agreed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic ties in a fitting manner. Exchanged views on BRICS, IBSA, G20 and UN where we have a strong tradition of cooperating closely," Jaishankar tweeted.

India will host the SCO Summit virtually on July 4 amid lukewarm ties with China. Chinese President Xi Jinping had refused to give clarity about his physical participation at the SCO Summit under India's presidency. Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, was planning to visit India for the SCO Summit and meet PM Narendra Modi. However, China remain intransigent on disengagement in pockets along LAC.

It is to be noted that during the past one year, India has become a leading importer of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding rising disquiet in the West over the procurement. India-Russia trade ties are soaring and several Russian ministers besides its NSA have visited New Delhi since March.

While the SCO agenda includes Eurasian stability, inclusive connectivity and counter-terrorism, BRICS focuses on multilateral reforms, projects funded by the BRICS bank and trade in national currencies. India's focus in G20 is on the challenges faced by the Global South.