Jaishankar discusses Ukraine conflict with Belarus's Foreign Minister in Delhi
Nov 09, 2022
New Delhi [India], November 9 : External Affairs Minister S Dr S Jaishankar met Belarus' Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei in New Delhi on Wednesday and discussed several issues including bilateral economic ties, the Ukraine conflict and multilateral cooperation.
"Met Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei of Belarus who is in India for our Inter-Governmental Commission meeting. Our discussion covered bilateral economic ties, Ukraine conflict and multilateral cooperation," Jaishankar said in a tweet.
Notbaly, Belarus is among the few countries, which is reportedly supporting the Russian military amid the Ukraine conflict. The meeting between Jaishankar and Belarus's Foreign Minister comes a day after the external affairs minister's Moscow visit.
During his two-day visit, the external affairs minister met with held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. With Lavrov, he covered a range of bilateral, regional and global issues.
Addressing a press briefing alongside Lavrov, Jaishankar said he exchanged views on international issues with the Russian side, in which the Ukraine conflict was the dominant feature.
Laying out India's position on the Ukraine conflict, he said, "As Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to Russian President Putin: this is not an era of war. The global economy is simply too interdependent for significant conflict anywhere not to have major consequences elsewhere."
Since the start of the Ukraine conflict earlier this year, India's bilateral ties with Russia have come under the scanner of the West for a surge in oil imports from sanctions-hit Moscow. The war in Ukraine which has continued for more than eight months has had a significant impact on global food security and has led to a sudden increase in crude prices.
Notably, India has not condemned Russia since the start of the conflict and has maintained its independent position. On several UN forums, New Delhi has consistently advocated for a cessation of violence and peace and diplomacy.
