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Transcript of Special Briefing by Foreign Secretary on Day 1 of Prime Minister's visit to Russia

India - Ministry of External Affairs

October 22, 2024

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. I welcome you to this special briefing by Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri on the first day engagement of the Prime Minister on his visit to Kazan for the 16th BRICS Summit. We also have our Ambassador to the Russian Federation Ambassador Vinay Kumar, joining us on the dais. With that I request Foreign Secretary Sir to make his opening remarks. Sir, over to you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Thank you, Randhir. Good evening, everybody. Let me just give you a quick rundown of the Prime Minister's first day of engagements on the occasion of his visit to Kazan for the 16th BRICS Summit. The Prime Minister arrived in Kazan earlier this morning. At the airport, he was very warmly welcomed by the Rais or the head of the Republic of Tatarstan, His Excellency Rustam Minnikhanov and the mayor of Kazan and was accorded a Guard of Honor. He was also given a traditional Tatar welcome where he was presented bread and a Tatar desert chak-chak by the local people.

India has old historical links with Kazan, a city which lay on an ancient trade route. On his arrival at the hotel, the Prime Minister was greeted by members of the Indian community in Kazan. We also had members of the local ISKCON branch singing Sanskrit chants to welcome him. And a group of Russian artists performed Kathak and Garba dances on the occasion.

Thereafter, the Prime Minister witnessed a photo exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi that highlighted the Mahatma's engagement with Leo Tolstoy. And this is particularly significant as it was in Kazan that Leo Tolstoy studied for several years.

The Prime Minister's first formal engagement of the day was a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin, the host of the 16th BRICS Summit. The meeting took place in the Governor's Palace and the two leaders discussed the progress made in bilateral relations since the 22nd Annual Summit between them, which was held in July this year in Moscow. This happens to be the Prime Minister's seventh visit to Russia over the last 10 years and his second visit to Russia this year.

The two leaders had an extensive agenda to go over the whole range of bilateral issues including trade, economic, energy, defense, connectivity, education, and people-to-people ties were discussed between the two of them. Regional and global issues of mutual concern also came up for discussion. The two leaders also exchanged views on several matters concerning BRICS and President Putin expressed his appreciation for India's constructive attitude and contributions in concluding the documents related to the Kazan BRICS Summit.

The leaders also shared perspectives on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Prime Minister reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy was the way forward to achieve resolution of the conflict. He briefed President Putin about his engagements with the Ukrainian leadership and noted that India stood ready to contribute in bringing peace to the region.

An important issue that came up was the issue of early discharge of the remaining Indian nationals in the Russian army. This figured from both sides in the discussion and with the support of the Russian side, a number of Indian nationals have, in recent months, been able to return to India. We understand that currently the embassy is pursuing around 20 cases with the Russian side and we very much hope that all of these individuals can be released at an early date and be repatriated to India very soon. The two sides also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing defense cooperation and agreed to hold the next meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Cooperation Group on Defense Cooperation in Moscow at an early date.

On energy cooperation in which there is engagement between India and Russia on building nuclear power plants in India, it was agreed that the Department of Atomic Energy and the Russian agency Rosatom would continue to remain in touch to adhere to the mutually agreed schedule for the installation of the remaining units, that is units 3 to 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.

Economic cooperation figured quite prominently in the talks and the two sides discussed the possibility of further cooperation in the financial sector. Sustaining supply chains for the steady and regular sourcing of fertilizers and coal from Russia was also discussed and President Putin promised assistance in this regard as well.

As agreed by the two leaders at their 22nd Annual Summit earlier this year, India will host the 25th session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on trade, technical, economic and cultural cooperation in New Delhi on the 12th of November 2024, for which the Russian delegation will be led by Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. As I had pointed out just a couple of days ago as well, India is at this time working with the Russian side to open a new consulate right here in Kazan in the not too distant future. Another new consulate that was announced sometime back will be opened in Yekaterinburg.

The Prime Minister's next engagement, which got over a short while ago, was a meeting with the newly elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Excellency Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian. Prime Minister and President Pezeshkian had a fruitful discussion. This was their first meeting since President Pezeshkian's election as the ninth President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Prime Minister congratulated him on his recent victory and reaffirmed India's commitment to deepening the age-old bilateral ties with Iran. In fact, both leaders emphasized repeatedly the shared historical and civilizational ties that underpin their bilateral relations and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in various fields of bilateral ties.

The discussion focused on key areas of cooperation, particularly the Chabahar Port and the international north-south transport corridor, which are crucial for enhancing regional connectivity and economic partnerships. In fact, seamless connectivity in the region was a theme of this meeting. In this context, the recent signing of the long-term main contract for the development of the Chabahar Port in Iran further strengthens the commitments of both countries toward collaboration in these sectors, which is in a sense also significant for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan and for enhancing trade, economic and people-to-people linkages with the countries of Central Asia.

Both leaders also discussed the situation in West Asia. Prime Minister expressed his deep concern over the escalating conflict and reiterated India's call for the protection of civilians, the prevention of harm to civilians. He emphasized the need for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate tensions. President Pezeshkian also emphasized on the need for peace and harmony in the region and the role that India could play in de-escalating the conflict, given its good relations with all the parties involved.

As I said, Afghanistan was another key topic of discussion between the leaders. Both of them underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, along with continuing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. President Pezeshkian acknowledged in particular the role that India played in Iran's accession to both the SCO and BRICS, and both the leaders agreed to continue their cooperation within various multilateral platforms, including BRICS and SCO.

These are the developments for the day today. The Prime Minister is going to leave in a short while for the exclusive leaders' dinner being hosted for BRICS leaders by President Putin. And we'll brief you on tomorrow's developments as the BRICS summit opens at a time that will be notified later. Let me stop there. Thank you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Sidhant?

Sidhant Sibal: Hi sir, Sidhant from WION. Sir, any possibility of a bilateral between the Indian Prime Minister and the Chinese president, given that there is a certain level of thaw with the agreement on patrolling? And essentially, my second question, what will be India's focus at the BRICS summit this year, in terms of the expansion, in terms of alternate payments mechanism?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Sahil.

Sahil Pandey: Sir, I'm Sahil from ANI. Sir, just a quick clarification regarding what you said about patrolling yesterday, as a part of the agreement reached, and what will it entail under new agreement, and what are the implications for the agreement on disengagement reached previously?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Runjhun.

Runjhun Sharma: Runjhun Sharma, RT. My question is about the bilateral between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian president. Was Ukraine discussed at all as a follow-up of Prime Minister's last visit as it suggested that India sought to be a peacemaker? Any developments there?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Vishal?

Vishal Pandey: Sir main Vishal Pandey hu ABP news se. Mera sawal ye hai ki kya 2020 se pahele ke jo isthiti hai LAC par thi, usi par lautne ki sehamati ban chuki hai aur kya kal Bharat ke Pradhan Mantri aur Cheen ke rastrapati ke bich bipakshiya mulakaat hogi?

[Question in Hindi Approximate Translation] Sir, I am Vishal Pandey from ABP News. My question is, has an agreement been reached to return to the situation that existed on the LAC before 2020, and will there be a bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister of India and the President of China tomorrow?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Sir. We will come back for more questions.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Sidhant I can that there will be a bilateral meeting held between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping tomorrow, 23rd of October on the sidelines of the , on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. The exact time and other logistics are being worked out, but the meeting will take place tomorrow.

Let me address Runjhun's question about the subject of Ukraine in the meeting between Prime Minister and President Putin. As I said, there was a considerable amount of discussion on this subject. The Prime Minister reiterated his views and his understanding that war and conflict would not solve or yield any solutions. The battlefield would not yield any solutions. There was a need for direct engagement between the parties most directly involved in the conflict, but also that India stood ready to aid and assist in any manner possible. It is in this context that, starting from the Prime Minister's visit to Moscow in July this year, subsequently going on to his visit to Kyiv in August this year, his engagement with the leadership of both countries, as well as other regional powers and other countries that are interested in it, the involvement of the national security advisor who briefed the president of Russia during his visit to St. Petersburg. All of these are, and most recently, I may have mentioned the Prime Minister's meeting with President Zelensky on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York, all of these signify India's attempt to continue to remain in touch with key actors, key interlocutors, and gauge the possibility of finding a peaceful path to end the conflict, and also perhaps look for alternative approaches that may not currently be on the table or may not be currently under examination by the two parties. I think we will continue to stay in touch with all parties, given that we are amongst the few interlocutors that have the comfort and the ability to speak on all sides or speak with actors on all sides of the conflict. And as I may have said earlier, the president, President Putin, appreciated the role that India was playing and promised to stay in close touch with the Prime Minister in connection with India's efforts.

Sahil and Vishal, I think your questions essentially relate to the same point with regard to the clarification that you sought insofar as what patrolling will entail under the agreement that was reached yesterday. Well, what it will entail is that in the pending areas under discussion, patrolling and indeed grazing activities, wherever applicable, will revert to the situation as it obtained in 2020. Incidentally, I should say that this is also what the External Affairs Minister was talking about yesterday when he was speaking at the NDTV World Summit, I think.

And as to the other part of your question, what the, as far as the disengagement agreements reached previously are concerned, those agreements were not reopened in these discussions. The agreement that was reached yesterday, very early yesterday morning, was focused on issues that had remained outstanding in the last couple of years. So that is what I would say at this point in time.

Vishal ye apke sawal ka, apka prasna ka bhi uttar isme hai. jaise maine kaha ki jo apne sawal pucha tha ki patrolling pe jo samjhauta kal huwa hai, uske maane kya hai. To uske maane ye hai ki jo kuch sawal reh gaye the jinke bareme pichale do saal se baatchit chal rahi thi, to waha pe patrolling aur grazing jaha pe bhi wo lagu ho, to wo wali jo isthiti hai wo 2020 ki isthiti waha pe bahaal ho jayegi. Aur main ye bhi keh raha tha ki kal jab videsh mantri NDTV World Summit ke mauke pe bol rahe the to unka tatparya bhi isi se tha. Aur jo mere khayal se Sahil ka prasna tha ye bhi ki jo pahele agreements huwi hai uspe kya asar padega kal ki agreement ka to jo pahele ki agreements hai uske bareme in jo abhi charcha sampt huwi hai usme pahele ki agreements ko phir se humne khola nahi. Ye charcha jo thi ye pending agreements pe jo outstanding issues the unko le ke thi.

[Answer in Hindi Approximate Translation] Vishal, the answer to your question is also within this. As I mentioned, regarding the question you asked about the agreement on patrolling that was reached yesterday, its meaning is this: the few issues that were pending and have been discussed over the past two years—regarding patrolling and grazing wherever applicable—the situation there will revert to what it was in 2020. I also mentioned that when the External Affairs Minister was speaking at the NDTV World Summit yesterday, his point was related to this as well. And I believe Sahil's question was also about the impact of yesterday's agreement on the previous agreements. Regarding the previous agreements, in the recent discussions that have just concluded, we did not reopen the earlier agreements. This discussion was about the pending agreements and the outstanding issues.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Manish?

Manish Chand: Sir. Manish Chand, India Writes Network. Foreign secretary this will be the first structured meeting probably, the first structured meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Xi Jinping since the Galwan clashes here. Now will it lead to I mean, what is the assumption on which are going ahead? Will it lead to a revival of the dialogue process because they were as far as I remember there more than 20 themes specific, sector specific, dialogue before the relations were disrupted. That's number one. Number two on meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin. I believe expansion of the grouping was discussed. What is our view on the candidacy of say for example Turkey and Pakistan and the broad big picture how we approaching because there are a lot of competing narratives about the expansion. Thank you.

Aarendra: Sir namaskar mera naam Aarendra hai. Main Doordarshan News se hu. Mera do sawal hai sir. Pahela ye ki jo China ke saath me patrolling ki purani vyawastha ko lagu karne pe sahamati bani hai kya usko le kar koi samay sima bhi hai ki usko kab tak lagu kiya jayega. Mera dusara sawal iss baat ko le kar hai ki Iran ke rastrapati ke saath jo mulakaat huwi hai Pradhan Mantri Modi ki, West Asia me jo sangharsh jo badta huwa nazar aa raha hai usme shanti isthapana ko le kar kis prakar ke binduo pe baat huwi aur Bharat ke in shanti ke prayaso me kisi parakar ke role ko le kar koi baat huwi? Thoda uspe vistaar chahenge. Thank you sir.

[Question in Hindi Approximate Translation] Sir, namaskar. My name is Aarendra, and I am from Doordarshan News. I have two questions, sir. The first is whether there is any specific timeline for implementing the agreement reached with China to restore the old patrolling arrangements. My second question is about the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and the President of Iran. Regarding the increasing conflict in West Asia, what points were discussed concerning the establishment of peace, and was there any discussion on India's role in these peace efforts? I would like a bit more detail on that. Thank you, sir.

Dhairya Maheshwari: Sir Dhairya Maheshwari from Sputnik India. Sir, with regards to the meeting with the Iranian President would it be possible to know if there was a discussion on linking the Chabahar port to the INSTC? And what are the challenges we are facing, you know, in doing so and sir on the meeting with President Putin was there any word on the revival of the RIC format? I mean from the Russian side, sir. Thank you

Valentina Schwartzmann: Valentina Schwartzman RBC, could you please comment on the Bloomberg report saying that India opposes a new expansion of BRICS fearing that it might become sort of an anti-U.S. body and also additionally could you please say whether there's been any progress on the issue of the accumulation of Rupees in India's banks as the result of proceeds from the deals with Russia? Has this issue been resolved in any way and how much of these Rupees are still remaining Indian banks. Thank you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Thank you, I think I missed answering one of Sidhant's questions from the earlier lot about the focus In the BRICS summit. So yes, as you said, I think one of the focus areas is, I wouldn't say the expansion of BRICS, but what we are discussing right now, which is the modalities and guidelines for implementing a partner country model with BRICS. So that is one of the focus areas for this summit. Beyond that, of course, I would imagine that there will be a lot of discussions between the leaders on the key themes and the key vectors within BRICS on political and strategic issues, on economic trade and financial issues and on people-to-people and cultural relations. I don't want to preempt and prejudge what will be the actual outcomes of the summit tomorrow and my colleague Secretary Economic Relations will be here at some point tomorrow to brief you on BRICS in detail and that will include the developments with regard to alternative payment mechanisms, etc. which are all being discussed in the BRICS task force on payments, which has three or four different streams working within it.

Manish, you asked about what will the meeting between Prime Minister and President lead to. I think I can only ask you at this moment to be patient. I will not be able to preempt or preview the outcome of the meeting but we should hopefully have some details to offer tomorrow.

With regard to discussions between Prime Minister and President Putin on some of the issues that are being discussed in BRICS on membership as I said there is a partner country model that is under discussion. The guidelines, modalities and the parameters of this model are under discussion. As I am given to understand this is something that is still work in progress at this point in time. So I don't want to go beyond my brief and comment on something that is still under discussion. Again, there might be developments later today or tomorrow that it would be more appropriate to speak about these at that point.

And your question on, aapne pucha tha ki iske koi time limit hai kya jo samjhauta huwa hai? Samjhuate ke kai pahelu hai jo ek to diplomatic level pe jo baatchit huwi hai aur military level pe baatchit huwi hai. in sabhi chijo ko samjhaute me rakha gaya hai. Aur aane waale dino me apko iske bareme aur details mil sakti hai lekin abhi main iss se jyada nahi kehana chahunga. Jaha tak Iran ke saath jo Pradhan Mantri ji ki rastrapati Pezeshkian se baatchit huwi hai, ji haan shanti varta ya shanti varta ki jo aawashyakta hai pachimi Asia me uske bareme kafi gaheri baatchit huwi unse. Iran ke rastrapati ne jor diya iss baat pe ki wey shanti varta ke aur shanti ke paksh me hai aur Pradhan Mantri Modi ji ne unse kaha ki Bharat humesha se shanti chahata aa raha hai aur chuki Bharat ki iss chetra me jitne desh hai aur unhone 6-7 desho ke naam ginaye aur unke leaders ke sath unke jo baatchit huwi hai uske baare me thoda unhone bewara diya aur bataya ki kaise wae shanti varta ke paksh me sabhi leaders se baatchit samya samya pe karte aa rahe hai. Aur Bharat ek taraha se ye bhumika kai saal se nibha aata raha hai aur aage bhi nibhayega.

[Answer in Hindi Approximate Translation] And your question on whether there is a time limit for the agreement that has been reached? There are several aspects of the agreement, including discussions at the diplomatic level and at the military level. All these elements have been incorporated into the agreement. In the coming days, you may get more details about it, but for now, I wouldn't want to say more on this. As for the conversation between Prime Minister Modi and President Pezeshkian of Iran, yes, there was in-depth discussion about the need for peace talks or the need for peace in West Asia. The President of Iran emphasized that they are in favor of peace talks and peace, and Prime Minister Modi mentioned that India has always been an advocate of peace. He also named 6-7 countries from the region and shared some details about his discussions with their leaders, explaining how he has consistently been in dialogue with them in support of peace talks. India has played this role for many years and will continue to do so.

Dhairya your question on linking Chabahar and INSTC. Yes, this has been something that has been a subject of discussion for some time. There are certain logistical issues involved in it. But I don't think that as a principle there is any question about the utility and the value that would be derived by linking Chabahar to the INSTC. It is something that we have discussed with a number of interlocutors, but there are certain logistics and infrastructure issues that are involved in this. Having earlier this year signed the main contract on Chabahar between Iran and India, I would imagine that movement towards this objective would be possible in the not-too-distant future.

Your second question on the revival of Russia-India-China trilateral in the meeting with President Putin, no this did not come up in today's meeting.

I think there was a question on if I got you correctly that there is an impression that India opposes BRICS expansion. I think that is a completely misplaced and erroneous impression. Last year when BRICS was expanded we were very much in the middle of that exercise and very-very closely involved in that exercise and the very fact that practically every country that entered as a member of BRICS last year, has expressed their appreciation to India for the role that we played; only goes to testify what our stance with regard to BRICS expansion is and I might add that It's the same role that we are playing in terms of contributing constructively to the discussions around the BRICS partner country discussion that is going on.

About your question on Rupees in Indian banks. I don't have the details immediately with me in terms of the quantum. But yes, these balances are there in special Vostro accounts that have been created under RBI regulations and they are essentially aimed at enabling the trade between India and Russia to proceed in a smooth manner. But I think the details perhaps when Secretary Economic Relations is here tomorrow, he might be able to give you more details on this.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: We had a question there, yeah. Please.

Pawel: Foreign secretary, my name is Pawel [indiscernable] from from the Russian TASS news agency. Recently, the BRICS pay mechanism was introduced. In this regard my question is one; can it be considered a viable alternative to the SWIFT inter bank messaging system? Two, will India participate in this initiative and if so do you believe it could soon facilitate settlements in bilateral trade such as for energy resources? Thank you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Gaurav.

Gaurav: Sir, Namaskar mera naam Gaurav Sawant hai. I work for India Today and Aakjtak. Sir cheen ke rookh me pariwartan aaya kaise apke drishti me aur jab patrolling dobara resume hogi to phir border pe troops ke clashes na jo jaye kya iska bhi koi mechanism hai aur disengagement to ho raha hai. kya de-escalation aur deinduction ki bhi baat ho rahi hai?

[Question in Hindi Approximate Translation] Sir, Namaskar. My name is Gaurav Sawant. I work for India Today and Aajtak. Sir, in your view, how did this change in China's stance come about? And when patrolling resumes, is there a mechanism in place to prevent clashes between troops at the border? Also, while disengagement is happening, is there any discussion on de-escalation and de-induction as well?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: [Indiscernible] you had a question? No.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: So to your question on, if I got u correctly you spoke about BRICS payment mechanism having been introduced. I must confess I am not aware of an alternative payment mechanism having been introduced as especially in so far as if I take the second part of your question especially as an alternative to SWIFT. What I do know is that there are some discussions that are going on within BRICS in terms of local currency settlement of trade. This is something that we have encouraged and in the discussions between officials on the finance track within BRICS, this is something that has been discussed as a possibility and to start with I think this might be something that could happen bilaterally between BRICS partners and could slowly be expanded to the multilateral plane amongst the BRICS countries, limited thus far to trade. How it can move to other areas of financial engagement between BRICS countries is something that I understand is still under study. There are a number of research projects that have been commissioned into these areas because as you will understand it would entail a number of changes in the financial mechanism and financial infrastructure of the different BRICS countries. So insofar as the local currency settlement of trade related issues is concerned yes, that is something that is being discussed and encouraged within BRICS. But beyond that I think we still have some work to do.

Gaurav apka jo sawal hai ki ye rukh kaise badla, how did these things change. Mere vichar me ye sawal iss samay thoda sa premature hai. Abhi jo arrangements aur abhi tak jo samjhuata huwa hai use pahele hume ground pe implement karna hai. Ye analysis ke ye kaise huwa isko mere vichar me baad me dekh sakte hai. Apne kaha ki jo aage face-offs na ho, clashes na ho unko kaise roka jaye, mere vichar me bahut hi ye ek ahem apne sawal, ek ahem mudda uthaya hai. Aur humari aasha hai aur humara prayatna rahega ki jo arrangements workout huwe hai, jin pe samjhauta huwa hai wo aise arrangements ho jinse iss taraha ke clashes ruk sake jo piche huwe hai kahi kahi pe Line of Actual Control ke paas. To isme aage hume dekhna padega aur lagatar prayatna karna padega, lagatar koshish karni padegi ki jo mechanics ho, jo agreements ke wo aise rahe ki iss taraha ke clashes hai unko roka ja sake. Jaha tak apka antim prasna hai ke disengagement ho gaya hai ya ho raha hai, aur de-escalation aur de-induction ki baat kaha aati hai main phir se yehi kahunga ke abhi humne pahele disengagement pe focus karna hai, aur de-escalation aur de-induction ki baatein sahi samya pe hongi.

[Answer in Hindi Approximate Translation] Gaurav, your question about how this change in stance occurred—how did these things change—I think is a bit premature at this time. First, we need to implement the arrangements and agreements on the ground. The analysis of how this happened can be done later. You also asked about how future face-offs or clashes can be prevented, and I believe this is a very important question and issue you've raised. Our hope and effort will be that the arrangements that have been worked out and agreed upon are such that they can prevent the kind of clashes that occurred earlier in some areas near the Line of Actual Control. We will need to monitor this closely and continue to make efforts to ensure that the mechanisms and agreements are such that these clashes can be avoided. As for your final question about disengagement and where de-escalation and de-induction come into play, I would say that for now, we are focused on disengagement first, and discussions on de-escalation and de-induction will happen at the appropriate time.

Thank you all.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: With that we come to the closure of this session. Thank you very much for your presence and thank you sir for taking out time for our friends in the media. Have a good evening. Thank you.