India, Russia hold talks on UNSC issues, vow to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism

India and Russia on Wednesday held consultations on UN Security Council related issues and agreed to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism at multilateral platforms. The consultations come ahead of India taking up the non-permanent seat at the UNSC for the period 2021-22.

The Indian delegation for the consultations was led by Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, while the Russian delegation was led by Sergey Vasilyevich Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and included other Russian Foreign Ministry officials.

The Russian side welcomed India taking up the non permanent seat at the UNSC for the period 2021-22, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Both sides held wide ranging discussions on issues on the UN Security Council agenda and recent developments, the MEA said. The Indian and Russian sides agreed to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism at multilateral platforms, it said.

The Indian delegation briefed Russia on its priorities during its upcoming UNSC tenure and they decided to work closely together, given the common challenges faced and in keeping with their long standing Special and Strategic Privileged Partnership, the statement said. The Indian delegation also included other officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Moscow. 

(Photo Credit: Twitter/IndEmbMoscow)