Hope India will find a way to benefit from China’s BRI: Russia
Sushma Swaraj with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. (Source: Twitter) Sushma Swaraj with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. (Source: Twitter)
VISITING RUSSIAN Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday said the concept of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is “very interesting”, and hoped that India will be able to benefit from it without compromising its position.
India has opposed BRI due to sovereignty concerns over the $50-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is part of BRI, passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Lavrov, who met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and attended the Russia-India-China trilateral meeting here, said Russia feels the initiative needs to be explored in the context of building harmonious relationship for deeper regional trade and investment.
About India’s opposition to the project, he said, “The specific problem in this regard should not make everything else conditional for resolving political differences.”
Lavrov said almost all Central Asian countries have already signed documents with China for cooperation in BRI, and Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union concluded economic cooperation agreement with it, indicating that the process is irreversible.
“I am 100 per cent convinced that India has enough very smart diplomats and politicians to find a way which will allow it to benefit from this process, and at the same time not sacrifice your position,” the Lavrov said.
After the RIC meeting, China’s Foreign minister Wang Yi also said that connectivity projects should complement instead of contradicting each other, and should supplement and not conflict for regional integration. Wang also stressed that China does not approve of “sphere of influence”.
Lavrov said a sustainable security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region cannot be achieved through “bloc arrangement”, in a clear signal of Moscow’s opposition to the quadrilateral grouping comprising the US, Japan, India and Australia.
Swaraj, in her remarks, said, “Lavrov and I reviewed our bilateral relations, and both of us were satisfied that this is the 70th year of establishing diplomatic relations between us, and more than 100 programmes were organised in the two countries to commemorate (this).”
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