External affairs minister S Jaishankar, who embarked on a five-day visit to Russia, arrived in Moscow on Monday. His latest visit came at a time when the top leadership in Moscow aimed at bolstering bilateral ties."The time-tested India-Russia partnership has remained stable and resilient and continues to be characterised by the spirit of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership," the External Affairs Ministry said.
Why Jaishankar's visit is crucial
His visit is also dubbed crucial as it comes nearly three months before the country is scheduled to hold Presidential elections which the incumbent Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is expected to return to the chair despite his decision to launch a special military operation against its neighbouring country, Ukraine.
During the visit, the ministry said the foreign minister would meet Russia’s deputy prime minister Denis Manturov, who is also the industry and trade minister. It is expected that the duo would finalise deals related to trade. Besides, the top Indian diplomat will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov wherein they will discuss bilateral and global issues. However, it was not clear whether the minister will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Expansion of BRICS
Moreover, it was expected that Jaishankar would discuss the expansion of BRICS amid reports Pakistan is willing to join the bloc under the presidency of Moscow.
Earlier last month, Russian news agency, TASS, reported that Islamabad applied for membership with the BRICS Group of Nations Union in 2024. The media reported Quoting a recent interview with Pakistan’s newly appointed Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali. The league of developed and developing nations originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and was formed in 2010. At its last summit in South Africa in October the BRICS group decided to invite six more countries to join their alliance.
Also Read: Pakistan files application to join BRICS bloc in 2024 under Russian chairmanship: Envoy
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