Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Jakarta on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit (EAS) on Wednesday, 6 September. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed topical issues of the East Asia Summit and G20.

“It was a pleasure to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Jakarta on the margins of the East Asia Summit. It is useful to take stock of our bilateral and multilateral cooperation. We discussed the East Asia Summit and G20 issues,” wrote India’s foreign minister on his social media accounts.

The ministers considered practical steps to further develop trade, economic and energy cooperation, cooperation in transport, as well as financial cooperation. In addition, the sides emphasised their mutual desire to enhance coordination in multilateral formats, including the UN, SCO, BRICS and G20.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who arrived in Jakarta to attend the ASEAN Summit. S Jaishankar’s meeting with his Indonesian counterpart also centred on the East Asia Summit and the G20 Summit, which India is hosting this year.

On his social media page, Jaishankar wrote, “Arrived in Jakarta to attend meetings related to the ASEAN Summit. Glad to meet my friend again. Our discussions centred on the East Asia Summit and the G20 Summit.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Indonesia on Wednesday to attend the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit. Modi will be in Jakarta on the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Indonesia, which currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship, has made adjustments in the schedule of both summits. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Indonesia comes ahead of this year’s G20 summit that will be held in New Delhi on 9-10 September under the Indian chairmanship, as reported by
ANI, a partner of TV BRICS.

A press release from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The upcoming ASEAN-India Summit will be the first summit after the upgradation of India-ASEAN relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022. The summit will review the progress in India-ASEAN relations and chart the future direction of cooperation. The East Asia Summit will provide an opportunity for leaders of ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional and global significance.”

Photo: flickr.com (Ministry of External Affairs of India)