‘In a convenient manner’: Can Russia-India-China Troika be revived? Mea reacts to Russia’s push. Bharat News
New Delhi: India on Thursday indicated openness to revive the dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) tripartite dialogue, after a renewed call from Moscow to re-establish the mechanism. The Ministry of External Affairs (Mea) said that any decision will be “mutually conveniently taken on starting the format.”Describing RIC as a “consultative format”, MEA spokesman Randhir Jaywal said it brings three countries together to discuss regional and global issues of shared anxiety.“RIC is a consultant format, a mechanism where three countries come together to discuss global and regional issues”. “The schedule will be worked in a conveniently convenient manner between the three countries,” he said, “he said, without confirming any specific timeline for a meeting.”The Indian response came shortly after Russian External Affairs Minister Sergei Lavarov expressed strong interest in resumption of RIC dialogue. Speaking at a conference last month, Lavarov said, “I would like to confirm our real interest in re -starting the work within the format of Troika – Russia, India, China – which was established several years ago on the initiative of Yevgeni Primkov (former Russian Prime Minister).”The RIC structure has been largely inactive in recent years, initially due to Kovid -19 epidemic and later in East Ladakh 2020 India -China military deadlock.Moving forward, Moscow’s outreach, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudanko said on Thursday that Russia is having “active talks” with both New Delhi and Beijing to resume the tripartite format. “This topic appears in our conversation with both of them. We are interested in working this format, as these three countries are important partners in addition to the founders of the BRICS,” he said, as a Russian news portal is cited by Tass.China has also thrown its weight behind the proposal. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lynn Gian said, “China-Russia-India cooperation not only serves the related interests of the three countries, but also helps to maintain peace, security, stability and progress in the region and the world,” the news agency PTI.Fresh push for RIC recently comes in the background of high-level diplomacy. External Affairs Minister K Jaishankar visited China for a meeting of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) last month, where he held bilateral talks with both Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.Earlier, National Security Advisor Ajit Dawal and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also visited China in June, indicating a phase of increased diplomatic busyness in the region.
