India-Russia hold consultations
Moscow, Mar 20 : The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday said Comprehensive Foreign Office Consultations between India and Russia were held in Moscow on Tuesday.
Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and Andrei I. Denisov, First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, led delegations of senior officials for the talks.
The two sides reviewed the progress in bilateral relations since the last India-Russia Summit in New Delhi in December 2012.
Strategic sectors of cooperation such as nuclear energy, hydrocarbons and defence were discussed, along with other issues of bilateral significance in the economic, consular, protocol and cultural areas.
A comprehensive exchange of views on regional and global issues also took place. Both sides discussed in detail the situation in Afghanistan, Syria, Iran and other regions.
"Shri Mathai and Mr. Denisov also assessed bilateral cooperation in multilateral fora including UN, SCO, BRICS and G20 - particularly the next BRICS Summit in Durban and the 2013 G20 Summit in St. Petersburg," said the MEA.
They agreed that close consultations between the two Foreign Offices on a broad range of subjects would continue through the year.