India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov held talks in New Delhi on Tuesday and discussed bilateral and global issues, said a statement issued by the Indian ministry of external affairs.

 

The focus of their discussions was preparations for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India for the annual summit later this year.

 

"We talked about longstanding partnership in nuclear, space and defence sectors. We assessed positively our economic cooperation, noting the new opportunities in Russian Far East," said Jaishankar while briefing media persons after the talks.

 

"Our rapidly expanding energy cooperation that now includes long term commitments was also on the agenda. On my part, I briefed Minister Lavrov on recent developments in India that open up new opportunities for Russian businesses in various sectors. The Self-Reliant India economic vision can facilitate a more contemporary economic relationship in the post-COVID era," he added.

 

The Indian minister also said that both sides noted the appetite for greater investments in each other.

 

According to him, there was an exchange of views on West Asia and the Gulf and Iran. He said peace and stability in such a sensitive and vital region is in global interest.