MOSCOW – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will hold negotiations in Moscow on August 27 to discuss a wide range of issues, including Indian-Pakistani tensions around the disputed Kashmir region.
“On August 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the foreign minister of the Republic of India will hold talks in Moscow. The foreign ministers will discuss ways to promote bilateral cooperation and will compare notes on the schedule of further contacts,” Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.
She stressed that the agenda would be rich at the upcoming talks.
“They will discuss a wide range of issues, including regional matters, certainly. Taking into consideration that the UN Security Council has held a session on the matter, I believe they will certainly exchange opinions [on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir], I have no doubt in it,” Zakharova said, when asked, whether the ministers would discuss the developments in the India-administrated Jammu and Kashmir state, where tensions recently flared up over New Delhi’s decision to strip the state of its special status and thus deprive it of the certain autonomy it used to enjoy.
Lavrov and Jaishankar will also discuss Indian delegation’s participation in the upcoming Eastern Economic Forum, which Russia’s Vladivostok will host from September 4-6, as well as the situation around the Iran nuclear deal, Zakharova said.
Situations in the Persian Gulf and in Afghanistan, Russian-Indian cooperation in the Asian-Pacific region and in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as well as preparations for Russia’s 2020 chairmanship in the BRICS will also be on the agenda, the spokeswoman noted.
Lavrov will also hold negotiations with Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto in Moscow on August 26, Zakharova said.
