New Delhi: India on Friday reiterated its commitment to foster closer dialogue and cooperation among the major economies in the Eurasian region.
Speaking at the 18th meeting of Russia-India-China Foreign Ministers, EAM Jaishankar said, "Let me, reaffirm India’s continued commitment to foster closer dialogue and cooperation among the three largest nations in the Eurasian region under the RIC mechanism,"
"I believe that our cooperation in areas like trade, investment, healthcare, education, science & technology and politics etc could significantly contribute to global growth, peace and stability. This would be in line with our common ethos of recognizing the "World as a Family”, he added.
He noted that India's approach to global development should be human-centric and not leave anyone behind.
The agenda for the meeting included topical issues such as the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, reforms of the multilateral system and International hotspot Issues.
Further, Jaishankar reiterated that the Covid pandemic has shown the inter-dependence of an inter-connected world, while adding that the need of the hour is, therefore, "One Earth One Health”.
That means a timely, transparent, effective and non-discriminatory international response to global health challenges including pandemics, with equitable and affordable access to medicines and critical health supplies, he pointed out.
It is worth noting that since joining the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member in January this year, India has been actively contributing to finding mutually acceptable solutions to international and regional issues.
"We believe that a multi-polar and re-balanced world based on the sovereign equality of nations and respect for international law and contemporary realities requires Reformed Multilateralism," Jaishankar said.
As a contiguous neighbour and long-standing partner of Afghanistan, India is concerned about the recent developments in that country, especially the suffering of the Afghan people.
EAM Jaishankar said that India supports an inclusive and representative government in Afghanistan as also other provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2593.
"In line with our commitment to the well-being of the Afghan people, we have offered a supply of 50,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan to address the drought situation. RIC countries need to work together to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the Afghan people without hindrance and politicization", added Jaishankar.
He urged the RIC countries to come forward and coordinate respective approaches on the threats of terrorism, radicalization, drug trafficking etc.
What is RIC
The Russia, India, and China collectively, known as RIC, as a strategic grouping first took shape in the late 1990s under the leadership of Yevgeny Primakov, a Russian politician and diplomat who was also the prime minister of Russia from 1998 to 1999, as a counterbalance to the Western alliance.
India took over the chairmanship of RIC after the last meeting of the three foreign ministers in Moscow in September 2020.
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