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Transcript of Special Briefing by Foreign Secretary on Prime Minister's visit to Russia and Austria (July 05, 2024)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

July 05, 2024

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Very warm welcome to all of you to the Ministry of External Affairs. Thank you for joining us for a special briefing by Foreign Secretary Shri Vinay Kwatra on the upcoming visit of Prime Minister to Russia and Austria. We are also joined o n the dais by Secretary (West), Shri Pavan Kapoor, and Additional Secretary Eurasia Division, Shri Charanjeet Singh, along with Additional Secretary who looks after Central Europe, Shri Arun Kumar Sahu.

With that, sir, I invite you to make your opening remarks.

Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: Thank you very much, Secretary (West), Pavan Kapoor, colleagues from the Ministry, friends from the media. Thank you very much for coming out this afternoon for this special briefing.

I would like to brief our friends from the media, as Randhir just said, on Honourable Prime Minister's upcoming two-nation tour to Russia and Austria. Honourable Prime Minister will pay an official visit to Moscow on 8th-9th July at the invitation of the President of the Russian Federation for the 22nd Annual Summit.

The last, that is, 21st Annual Summit, you would recall, was held in New Delhi in December 2021. The two leaders thereafter met in September 2022 in Samarkand on the margins of the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan. They have also stayed in touch with each other through several telephonic conversations through these years.

As of now, Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive in Moscow in the afternoon, late afternoon of 8th July. President Putin will host a private dinner for Honourable Prime Minister on the day of arrival. The next day, Honourable Prime Minister's interactions would include an interface with the Indian community in Russia. As part of programming elements, Prime Minister will also lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Kremlin. And thereafter, Honourable Prime Minister will visit the Rosatom Pavilion at the exhibition venue in Moscow.

These engagements will be followed by a restricted level talk between the two leaders, which will then be followed by delegation level talks led by Honourable Prime Minister and the Russian President. Honourable Prime Minister will depart Moscow for Vienna in the afternoon of 9th July.

The 22nd annual summit between India and Russia would provide an opportunity to the two leaders to review the whole range of bilateral issues, including defence, trade linkages, investment ties, energy cooperation, S&T, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. They would also share perspectives on regional and global developments of mutual interest. They would also assess the status of bilateral engagements in groupings such as BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, G20, East Asia Summit, and the UN.

The issue of early discharge of Indian nationals who have been misled into the service of the Russian army is also expected to figure in the discussions. Other areas of interest would also include cooperation across the range of areas that I just listed out above.

India-Russia have a Special and Privileged Partnership since 2020, which has remained resilient in the wake of multiple geopolitical challenges that the world has been facing. Annual summit between the two leaders is the highest mechanism to steer and drive the cooperation between our two countries. Our bilateral exchanges with Russia have also remained fairly frequent over the last year. The two foreign ministers have met several times last year. Most recently, they met day before yesterday on the sidelines of the SCO summit. EAM had also visited Moscow and St. Petersburg in December last year. And the two National Security Advisers have also met a few times last year.

India-Russia bilateral trade has seen a sharp increase in 2023-24. It has since touched close to $65 billion, primarily due to strong energy cooperation between India and Russia. With Indian exports of $4 billion and Indian imports being close to $60 billion, trade remains imbalanced, which is a matter of priority in our discussions with the Russian side.

We also have growing investment ties between the two countries, including in the field of energy, banking, railways, and steel. These are the growing areas of our investment partnership. Russia also remains an important partner for India's energy security and defence. In the area of nuclear energy, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant units 1 and 2 have already become operational. And the work is progressing on units 3 and 6.

In the field of defence also, we continue to work closely across a full range of its sub-domains. Both sides are currently working on a series of outcome documents, which would be the result of the summit. The specifics of these outcomes would be shared with our media friends as and when they are finalized.

In the second leg of the trip, Prime Minister will be visiting Austria on 9-10 July at the invitation of the Chancellor of Austria. This will be Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's first visit to Austria. Prime Minister had met then Austrian Chancellor, who's now the Foreign Minister, His Excellency Schallenberg, in October'21 on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow. The last Prime Ministerial visit I must mentioned, from India to Austria, took place more than 40 years ago.

In terms of programming elements, the Prime Minister, besides the ceremonial welcome being accorded to him, would also call on the President of Austria and hold restricted delegation-level talks as also a high-level business engagement in Austria.

Austria is an important central European country. The headquarters of, as you would all know, International Atomic Energy Agency, UNIDO, UNODC, and OSCE. Austria offers excellent opportunities for bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, renewable energy, high technology areas, start-up sectors, media and entertainment.

Austria-India trade is largely balanced and has registered good growth over the last couple of years. Our investment linkages also continue to grow, even though in volume terms, they may be small. Several Austrian companies have presence in India. In February '24, an India-Austria Start-up bridge was also launched, which has already had a very promising start. India and Austria had also signed a Comprehensive Migration and Mobility Agreement in May last year, and both sides will continue to work closely to expand and explore new areas of bilateral partnership.

The visit we are confident will allow us to discuss various areas of importance in bilateral engagement, as also issues of regional and global importance of mutual interest, and help broaden the scope of our partnership.

I would stop here and take questions. Secretary (West) is here with me to answer any questions relating to the Austria leg of the visit. Thank you very much.

Sidhant: Sidhant from WION. my question is, how much will the conflict in Ukraine be part of the conversation when PM meets President Putin, and will India also discuss the aggressive actions by the Chinese in the Indo-Pacific?

Pranay Upadhyaya: Sir, Pranay Upadhyaya ZEE News se. apne kaha ki Pradhan Mantri ki iss yatra ke dauran ek focus hoga ki jo Bharatiye waha Ukraine ke sanya morche pe hai unki wapasi ka mudda bhi uthaya jayega. Videsh Mantralaya ke anumaan ke anusar kitne Bharatiye jo hai wo iss tarike ki inki sankhya hai aur dusari baat Russian Armed Forces ke Supreme Commander se jab Pradhan Mantri baat karenge to ye mudda hum pahele bhi uthate rahe hai kya humara aagraha hoga aur mang hogi?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate Translation] Sir, Pranay Upadhyaya from ZEE News. You mentioned that during the Prime Minister's upcoming visit, there will be a focus on addressing the issue of Indian citizens currently on the frontlines in Ukraine and their return. According to the estimates of the Ministry of External Affairs, how many Indians are in this situation, and secondly, when the Prime Minister speaks with the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, will this issue be raised as we have done previously, and will there be a request made?

Runjhun Sharma: Runjhun Sharma, RT Russia Today. May I ask why Russia was chosen as the first destination for a bilateral, ever since Narendra Modi was re-elected? Thank you.

Huma Siddiqui: Sir, I'm Huma Siddiqui from the Financial Express. I have two questions. You talked about the defence being also on the agenda. So, there's a delay in the delivery of S-400s. Will that also be discussed? And my second question is, what about the space sector? Is India going to discuss further cooperation in the space sector with Russia?

Ayushi Agarwal: This is Ayushi Agarwal from ANI. Sir, will there be any announcement of opening new consulates in Russia too, apart from which we have in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok?

Dhairya Maheshwari: Sir, Dhairya Maheshwari from Sputnik, India. So, my question is, the first question is regarding the G7 nations, they have called for tightening sanctions and cracking down on circumvention of sanctions. India and Russia have been looking to diversify trade, increasing Indian exports. So, how does India reconcile both the issues? And sir, the second question is, yesterday President Putin, he said that Russia have used the Taliban as an ally in the fight against terrorism. Does India see eye to eye with Russia on this? What's your perception on the Afghanistan situation? Thank you, sir.

Kunal Dutt: Sir this is Kunal Dutt from PTI. Last Summit saw 28 MOUs being signed and a joint statement being issued. This time, sir, how many MOUs are expected and what are some of the areas in which the cooperation would be expected, sir? Thank you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: We'll come back for more questions. Sir, over to you.

Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: Thank you very much. Look, as I mentioned to you in my opening remarks, this is the 22nd Annual Summit. In all the past Summits, whenever Prime Minister has met with the Russian President in the past and also even in the sideline meetings, for example, I referred to the meeting in Samarkand in 2022, the issues of regional and global importance for both countries are always taken up by the two leaders. You are well aware of what the Honourable Prime Minister spoke when he referred to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine at that time with Russian President. So, we are all aware of that. And those issues in terms of how they impact the countries of the Global South, how they have a bearing on the peace and stability in the larger region, and how they also interface with some elements of bilateral engagement would naturally be expected to figure in the discussion. Although I think it would not be correct for me to really pre-judge the entire spectrum of issues that would figure in the discussion between Honourable Prime Minister and the Russian President.

The same would apply to the second part of your question. The developments in Indo-Pacific have a spectrum of opportunities and a spectrum of challenges. And given that they are of significance to both India and Russia, it is possible that they might also figure in the agenda. But again, as I said, it is not correct for me to pre-judge what the two leaders would speak about, except to say that issues of regional and global importance would constitute an important element of the conversations that the two would have.

Pranay, apka jo prasna hai jo Bharatiya Nagarik Russian army me jo gumraha kar ke liye ja rhe hai, bheje ja rahe hai aur jo waha par hai. Dekhiye jo exact number hai wo to kahena shayad thoda kathin hoga. But aisa anumanit hai ke ye number, ye sankhya kahi bhi 30 se le ke 40-45 tak shayad ho sakti hai. Magar ye kewal anuman hai. Lekin main isme ye bhi kahena chahunga ke jab jab humne jis kisi bhi Bharatiya Nagarik ko le kar aisi jankari prapt huwi hai ke usko gumraha kar ke Russian army me kaam karne ke liye le jaya gaya hai, tab tab humne bahut hi sashakt rup se, sidrur rup se isko Russian side se uthaya hai. Bharat me bhi wah log jo ki Bharatiya Nagariko ko gumraha kar ke, recruit kar ke waha le ja rahe hai unke khilaf sakt se sakt kaarwahi ki gai hai aur pure prayas kiye gaye hai ke jitni jaldi ho Bharatiya Nagarik wapas laute. 10 Bharatiya Nagarik iss prakriya ke antar Bharat wapas laye ja chuke hai. Aur Russian netritva ke har istar pe - aupacharik istar pe, rajnaitik istar pe, humara ye bahut hi prabal aagraha raha hai ke Bharatiya Nagarik jo ki galat prakriyao se galat tarike se Russian army me le jae ja rhe hai unki shigraha atishigraha Bharat wapasi ho. Ye humare satat prayas rahe hai aur ye prayas har istar pe rahe hai. Aur swabhabik hai ki manniya Pradhan Mantri ji iska bhi jikra uthane ki hum apekshya waha pe rakh sakte hai.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Pranay, regarding your question about Indian citizens being misled and sent to join the Russian army, the exact number is difficult to specify. However, it is estimated that the number could range anywhere from 30 to possibly 40-45. This is only an estimate. I would also like to mention that whenever we have received information that any Indian citizen has been misled and sent to work for the Russian army under false pretenses, we have strongly and assertively taken it up with the Russian authorities. In India, stringent action has been taken against those who are involved in misleading and recruiting Indian citizens and efforts have been made to bring them back as soon as possible.10 Indian citizens have been brought back to India through this process. At every level of Russian leadership, both official and political, we have expressed strong concern that Indian citizens who are being taken to the Russian army through improper procedures must be returned promptly. These efforts continue persistently and at every level. It is natural to expect that Honourable Prime Minister may raise this issue as well.

On the question relating to Prime Minister's visit, as I mentioned in my remarks, the 21st Annual Summit was held way back in 2021. Thereafter, for the last three years, there hasn't been an Annual Summit, although the two leaders have met on the sidelines and have spoken on the phone. So the bilateral visit this time is just a scheduling priority that we have undertaken. And that's what it is.

On the question of... Humaji, on your question relating to defence cooperation. Look, I would not be able to comment on the specific elements of discussions under each agenda item, except to say that defence cooperation, India-Russia defence cooperation is a very important segment of our Privileged and Strategic Partnership and various elements of it, whether it relates to co-production opportunities between India and Russia here, whether it relates to supply of spare parts for the existing Russian platforms in India, whether it relates to other equipment that might be involved, what kind of defence cooperation should the two countries have; those are various sub-domains of larger defence cooperation. So those could potentially come up in discussion between the two leaders. But what exactly would be the specifics of it, I would not be able to comment. But I would also like to say that this is an important area of our cooperation and the two Ministries of Defence have been in very, very regular touch on taking up the issues that are of priority to us.

The same applies to the space sector also. It has a wide-ranging spectrum of elements that the two countries cooperate in, and this will also be an important basis and will continue to remain an important area of our cooperation.

I don't have anything specific to share with you, Ayushi, with regard to the opening of the Consulates, except to give you a generic sense that it remains our consistent effort to ensure that our diplomatic presence all across the world is expanded, to respond to not just the need of India's bilateral relationships with many of those countries, but also to respond to many of the consular needs that may arise in a given country from time to time. But nothing specific at this stage to share with you.

To the question from Sputnik on the G7 sanctions. Look, we on our part, have always been very careful in adhering to the UN sanctions. Insofar as the G7 sanctions are concerned, we have been in very regular touch with G7, essentially to protect and progress our national interests and our national needs when it comes to our economic interest and our political interest, whether it relates to diamonds or it relates to other sectors of industry and economy.

Look, it's not correct for me to comment on any country's position on any other part of the world, except to repeat to you that which we have said at many occasions in the past also, that insofar as India-Afghanistan ties are concerned, our relationship with Afghanistan is very heavily people-centric. We have a technical mission presence in Kabul, which essentially responds to the humanitarian and development priorities of Afghan people as they relate to India's capabilities and strengths which could meet some of those requirements.

I don't have specific number or the listing of the MOUs that would be signed to be shared, but as and when they are concretized and finalized, we'd be more than happy to put it out and share them with you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: We'll have the second round of questions, Siddhant?

Siddhant: Hi, sir, I'm Siddhant from CNN-News18. So whether the issue of international north-south transport corridor will be taken up as Prime Minister Modi yesterday in his statement, which was read by EAM Jaishankar, highlights the progress that took place recently on Chabahar port. Thank you.

Jay Prakash: Sir, main Jay Prakash hu Dainik Jagran se. Apne kaha ki trade imbalances par baat hogi aur priority rahega apke liye. Abhi sir humara jo data apne diya hai $55 billion ka trade imbalance hai jo Russia ke favour me hai. toh kya proposal hai apna ki isko kum kiya ja sake?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate Translation] Sir, I am Jay Prakash from Dainik Jagran. You mentioned that there will be discussions on trade imbalances and it will be a priority for you. Currently, sir, the data you have provided shows a $55 billion trade imbalance in favour of Russia. What proposals do you have to reduce this?

Sudhi Ranjan: Sir Sudhi Ranjan from Bloomberg, sir. If you could give us any clarity whether the two leaders are going to discuss the India-Russia payment mechanism, and also can we expect, you know, more Russian investments from the money that is stuck in India?

Sanjeev: This is Sanjeev Barua from The Week. Prime Minister Modi and President Putin will meet just a day before the major NATO summit in Washington. Again, the next stop, the Prime Minister will be leaving for Austria, which is a neutral country. Can one articulate the messaging here from the Indian perspective?

Smita Sharma: Hi, Smita Sharma. It's actually a related question because in Burgenstock at the Ukraine summit, I had spoken to the Austrian Chancellor, who, while recalling Nehru's role in Austria's freedom from Soviets, also hoped that India would play a more proactive role in bringing Ukraine and Russia to the dialogue table. Is there any scope of an Indian intervention here, given the fact that the party in the run-up to the elections had claimed that the Prime Minister had intervened in the war?

Gautam Lahiri: Thank you. I'm Gautam Lahiri. My question relates to civil nuclear cooperation, as you have said in the initial statement. A few years ago, India had proposed a few sites for building a nuclear power plant, and one of them was in Haripura, which is the West Bengal. So there was some dispute. But still, that is in the table. I found from the Atomic Energy Ministry's statement. So whether you will be proposing to carry on these sites, including the Haripura, or will you propose a new alternative site for that?

Suhasini: If I could ask after Sanjeev's question as well, the fact that Prime Minister Modi and President Putin are going to be meeting on exactly the same day as Mr. Biden welcomes Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, as well as all the NATO members and some Indo-Pacific members as well. Is there a larger message in terms of where India stands on the Russia-Ukraine war in all of this? And does the Prime Minister plan, obviously not right away, but a future visit to Kyiv at any point?

Srinjoy: Sir, one of the biggest defence deals in recent times with Russia was the S-400. Now, some have come, but certain deliveries in these last few months have been delayed. Is this issue going to come up? Because this is critically important for India's air defence, and the delays are causing some concern.

Parul Chandra: Hi, I am Parul Chandra. I want to know what is the status on the reciprocal exchange of logistics agreement, which is proposed between India and Russia and which has been delayed for long?

Tripti Lahiri: Hi, Tripti Lahiri, with the Wall Street Journal. Rosoboronexport yesterday announced that it has a joint venture in India for manufacturing certain kinds of ammunition used by tanks that are in the Indian Army. Is this in response to Indian concerns about supplies and spares, and also the part of that production used not only in India, but also by Russia, exported to Russia?

Illeana: Good afternoon, Tass News Agency, Illeana. Later around this year, Russia will also host BRICS summit, and my question, can we expect that this visit by Shri Narendra Modi to Moscow will somehow start a chain of visits to Russia, and what is the importance for India of BRICS, and how do you assess the enlargement of this organization? Thank you.

Kadambini Sharma: Kadambini Sharma from NDTV. Kya Bharat ke taraf se Russia-Ukraine yudh me mediation karne ke liye koi offer diya jayega?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate Translation] Kadambini Sharma from NDTV. Will India offer any mediation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict?

Uma: Uma Shekhar NDTV se. 41 saal baad koi Bharatiya pradhan mantri Austria ja rhe hai. kya waha pe intezaam rahenge aur kis tarah ke dvipakshiya muddho pe baat chit hogi aur usko aage badhaya jayega?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate Translation] Uma Shekhar from NDTV. After 41 years, an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Austria. What arrangements will be there, and what kind of discussions will take place on bilateral issues, and how the relations will be taken forward?

Niraj: Sir, abhi vaishvik-shanti sammelan huwa tha Ukraine ke masale par aur usme Bharat ka bhi pratinidhitwa huwa tha haalaki sajha ghoshana patra ka hissa Bharat nahi bana tha. Kya iske outcome ke aage koi baat hogi? Haalaki apne kaha hai ki pre-judge nahi kar sakte lekin phir bhi agar kuch bata sake ispe?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate Translation] Sir, recently there was a Pace Summit on the issue of Ukraine, in which India also participated, although India was not part of the joint declaration. Will there be any further discussion on its outcome? Although you have mentioned not to pre-judge, can you still share any insights on this?

Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: Thank you very much. On the question relating to INSTC corridor, the larger substantive area of cooperation between India and Russia, which relates to the connectivity, would definitely be one of the important, has always been one of the important areas of our cooperation. And this has also featured, as you rightly observed in EAM's comments also. So, we do expect the connectivity as an important domain of partnership between India and Russia to come out of this visit as an important outcome. You referred to Chabahar, there is also the eastern corridor that's being talked about between Chennai and Vladivostok. But the overall connectivity domain would be an important area of partnership between our two countries.

Jo apka prashna tha trade imbalances ko le ke aur uske sambandh me kya prastavit measures hain jiske bare me varta chal rahi hai. Dekhiye jo Bharat-Russia ke jo aarthik sambandh hain usme ayaat-niryaat ek mukhya bhaag hai. Nivesh ki prakriya bhi jo hai dono desho ke bich me kafi ek mahatwapurna role play karti hai. To jaha tak trade imbalances ko correct karne ka prashna hai toh Bharat se niryaat badhane ke har chhetra me chahe wo krishi ke chetra ho, chahe wo pradhyogiki ke chhetra ho, chahe wo pharmaceuticals ka area ho, chahe wo services ka area ho, humara ye prayas rahega ki Bharat se niryaat jitna jyada in sabhi chetro me Russia ke taraf badh sake. Utni hi jaldi jo hai dono desho ke bich me trade imbalance jo hai thik ho payega. Ye lagatar dono desho ke bich me dono vyavasthao ke bich me jo varta chalti rahi hai aayat niryaat me jo imbalance hai ye sadaiv hi ek mahatwapurna mudda raha hai dono desho ke bich me baatchit ka. Lekin isme dhyan talab ye bhi, ye bhi dhyan rakhna aavashyak hai ki jo dono desho ne dvipakshiya vypaar ka jo target rakha tha 2025 ka, kitna 25 billion ka shayad wo target tha. Wo already jo hai paar ho gaya hai. toh ye bhi humara prayas rahega ke aage aane wale saalo me hum apne vyapaar ko aur uch istar ke target pradan kare aur dono desho ke bich me aarthik sayahog ko pragati de.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] The question you raised about trade imbalances and proposed measures being discussed. Imports and exports are an important part of the economic relationship between India and Russia. Investment processes between both nations also play a significant role. Regarding the question of correcting trade imbalances, our effort will be to increase exports from India to Russia in every sector, whether it's agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals, or services as quickly as possible, which will help correct the trade imbalance between the two countries. Continuous discussions are happening between the two countries regarding the imbalance in imports and exports, and it has always been a significant issue in bilateral trade talks. It is also noteworthy that the bilateral trade target of around $25 billion, set for 2025, has already been surpassed. So, our endeavour will be to set even higher targets for our trade in the coming years and promote economic cooperation between both countries.

Sudhi to your question on India-Russia payment mechanism, I really do not know which specific mechanism are you referring to, but you know, currently we have a mechanism of payments in which the trade settlements are done, and those payment mechanisms as of now appear to be working fine. So, I really do not know if you are referring to a specific trade mechanism per se.

Mr. Sanjay, to your question, and I think Suhasini's question is linked to that, to what you mentioned. And I will just tangent in the question which was referred to with regard to Bürgenstock Conference in Switzerland. Look, the larger messaging on Russia-Ukraine conflict, let me make that very clear, and this was articulated very clearly by the leader of the Indian delegation at the Bürgenstock Conference who is sitting here with us. And I will just, you know, pick up key elements of what was said at that meeting by India, which captures the messaging part, what was referred to, which was, one that we share the global concern over the situation in Ukraine, and naturally support any collective desire to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We have always maintained a very clear and consistent position and approach that enduring peace can be achieved only through dialogue and diplomacy, and we continue to believe that such a peace requires bringing together all stakeholders and a sincere and a practical engagement between the two parties of the conflict.

With regard to the scheduling of the Prime Minister's visit to Russia, as I mentioned in my opening remarks and in a subsequent answer also, we look at our relationship with Russia purely from a framework of reference of bilateral relationships. Annual summit has not been held between the two countries since 2021, and this has been scheduled to be held at this time. I think this is all there is to it. I would not want to read anything more in that in terms of its significance, except to say that we attach great importance to this annual summit. It is now taking place after three years, and there is a significant amount of agenda issues to be taken up by the two leaders to give them new direction, drive and momentum.

Insofar as the civil nuclear cooperation is concerned, the question relating to that, I mentioned, look, this is an important area of our energy partnership. Kudankulam 1 and 2, the two sites are operational, and 3 to 6 are currently in progress. I do not have anything specific to share with you with regard to the alternate site at this stage. Whenever we have that information, we'll be very happy to share it with you.

Srinjoy, on S-400, I have already in some manner responded to when Humaji asked the same question. Look, defence cooperation is important for us. There are large sub-domains of the defence partnership between India and Russia that remain under discussion between the two defence ministries. Supplies of S-400 is one of the components of that.

You know, a related question was on the spares. I think it was Tripti Lahiri that asked on the Rosoboronexport statement, and look, spares, India-Russia cooperation on spares, their co-production in India is not a new item of discussion between the two countries. This has been under discussion for last several years, and there is a progressive increase in the co-production, not co-designing, I would say, but co-production and manufacturing of those spares in India. And this is a part of a long-standing understanding between the two countries on how different systems and subsystems would eventually end up getting manufactured in India. So, on the spares, that is the situation.

Look, on the BRICS summit, we attach great importance to BRICS. We have very strongly supported Russia's presidency of the BRICS summit and have been very extensively participating in the BRICS-related engagements, including in the revised extended format. This is something which in terms of its agenda matrix, in terms of the areas of cooperation that are discussed in BRICS and how they are positioned in our cooperation within the BRICS format is extremely important to us. So, whether you take practical engagement such as, for example, under the New Development Bank, which is under the BRICS format, whether you look at the BRICS contingency reserve arrangement, which is under the BRICS, the BRICS remote satellite constellation, remote sensing satellite constellation, BRICS business council I mean I can go on and on, there are a list of areas which get prioritized in BRICS.

Now, each of these areas are important to us, just as they are important to the other BRICS countries also. And we will be participating very actively and have been always actively participating in the BRICS engagement. And the meetings under the Russian presidency will be no exception. You will see good and strong Indian participation at the BRICS meetings in Russia also.

Kadambani ji, jo apka prashna tha mediation ko le ke Bharat Russia-Ukraine conflict me Bharat ki mediation… Mere khayal se iska uttar main already de chuka hu jisme maine ispast rup se kaha hai ke dialogue aur diplomacy aur dono sides ka all stakeholders aur dono sides ka involve hona isme bahut aawasyak hai. Ye baat ispast rup se pratyksh rup se pradhan mantri ji ne swayam rastrapati Putin ko September 2022 me jab unki mulakat Samarkand me huwi thi usme ispast rup se sab ke samne rakhi thi. Aur humara ye humesha prayas rahega ke is mudde ka jitni jaldi ek shantipurn samadhan ho utna hi jo hai sab ke liye ye labhkari rahega.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Kadambani ji, regarding your question about India's mediation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict… I believe I have already addressed this earlier. I have clearly stated that dialogue, diplomacy, and the involvement of all stakeholders from both sides are crucial. This point was explicitly emphasized by Prime Minister during his meeting with President Putin in September 2022 in Samarkand. We will always strive for a peaceful resolution of this issue as quickly as possible, which will be beneficial for everyone.

Austria… I would leave for my colleague to answer. I think there was one question on the reciprocal logistics exchange agreement. I don't have anything specific on that to report to you right now. Let me just check and if we have an update, we will revert to you. Pavan on Austria?

Pavan Kapoor, Secretary (West): Thank you. Just, I think as Foreign Secretary has already spelled out, this is a visit happening to Austria after a very long time, 41 years since we've had a Prime Ministerial visit. So I think the significance is there in terms of having engagement at this level. The fact is that we've had good steadfast relations with Austria back since 1949 when we recognized them. And we have been having quite a bit of engagement over the last two, three years. But that has been building up, I would say, to this summit level sort of interaction that we're getting into.

The foreign ministers have been meeting regularly. Our focus is very much on business, innovation, technology. These are the areas we're going to focus on. Foreign Secretary, in his opening remarks, mentioned that we had the visit of their Labor and Economy Minister in February. And there was a launch of a startup project, a startup bridge. Following this, there was just last month, about 20 Indian startups visited Vienna for a very big event. So innovation is one area we're going to focus on.

We're also looking at what we can do in terms of technology. There are over, I think, 30 to 40 large Austrian companies already present in India in a range of areas from infrastructure, tunneling, track laying. We've got a fair amount of investments from India already in Austria. But we want to see how we can take these forward. We want to look at other key areas, clean technologies, renewables. We want to look at different areas where we can try and work together. There is a considerable scope. Of course, we will, as I said, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister have not had occasion… Foreign Secretary mentioned that their current Foreign Minister, when he was Chancellor during the COP26 in Glasgow, our Prime Minister had occasion to meet him. But this will be a good occasion for the highest level engagement between India and Austria to take place. Thank you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: With that, ladies and gentlemen, we come to the close of this press engagement. I would like to thank Foreign Secretary and Secretary (West) for taking out time to meet our media friends. Thank you very much. Stay tuned for all the details on the visit. Thank you.

Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: Thank you very much.