External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Manila on the sidelines of the ASEAN engagements and conveyed India’s strong concern over the safety of Indian seafarers in the region.
The meeting came a day after the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi summoned Russian Chargé d’Affaires Vladimir Ladanov and conveyed India’s grave concern over the missile attack on the commercial vessel MV Golden Leo as it was departing the port of Odessa in Ukraine, in which at least four Indian nationals were killed.
Jaishankar said he also discussed various aspects of the India-Russia partnership with Lavrov, including trade and investment, energy and connectivity, science and technology, and mobility. The two leaders also exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Gulf.
Jaishankar also met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and later wrote on X: “Pleased to meet @SecRubio of the USA here in Manila. Our meeting focused on areas that are priorities for the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including trade and tariffs, energy, defence and security, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence. We also exchanged brief perspectives on regional, global and multilateral issues of mutual interest.”
The Indian minister also held bilateral meetings with several other key counterparts, including the foreign ministers of Canada, Japan, Australia, Singapore and the Philippines.