Lavrov stresses common interests in economic growth, social issues and improving living standards, while acknowledging differences remain.
The leaders’ public display of unity at the SCO summit attracted worldwide attention and raised concerns in the West.
Experts believe bilateral interactions will deepen, with India maintaining its democratic independence despite closer ties with Russia and China.
Lavrov Says China, India and Russia Seek Stronger Partnership Amid Global Shifts
Russia’s Lavrov points to mutual benefits as China, India and Russia explore closer cooperation amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Summary
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Sunday that China, India, and Russia are aware of their common interests in several sectors and there is an overt trend to develop mutual partnership.
According to PTI, Lavrov was alluding to the recent camaraderie of the three nations' leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held last week in Tianjin, China.
At the SCO conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping made headlines throughout the world with their triple handshake and huddle.
It even prompted US President Donald Trump, in a social media post, to lament the loss of India and Russia to “deepest and darkest” China.
“It is a demonstration that three great powers, representing three great civilisations, are aware of their common interests in a number of areas,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian State TV.
Setting aside speculation, Lavrov clarified: “This does not mean that everything is 100 per cent the same, but there is a tendency for China, Russia and India to develop their partnership, deriving mutual benefit from those areas, where we have the same interests.” According to the foreign minister, the common interests of the three countries lie in developing the economy, solving social problems, and improving the living standards of the population.
PTI reported that the public display of camaraderie among Modi, Putin, and Xi, which signaled a wider convergence among the major three powers, garnered more attention than the SCO summit's primary goal of ensuring deeper security and economic complementarities among its member nations.
On social media, a video showed Modi and Putin strolling hand in hand towards Xi, and then the three of them forming a close circle as good friends went viral.
Trump's remark about losing India to China coincided with a deterioration in ties between Washington and New Delhi following the US president's decision to raise tariffs on Indian imports to a staggering 50 per cent, which included a 25 per cent additional duty for India's purchase of Russian oil.
Reportedly, a leading oriental specialist in this country has, however, disregarded a close-knit RIC (Russia, India, and China) discussion.
In an interview with VestiFM's "The Asian Casket," Dr. Aleksi Maslov, the director of Moscow University's Africa-Asia Institute, emphasised that India is a significant democracy in Asia, albeit distinct from Europe and with its own set of decision-making processes.
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Maslov expressed his belief that the troika's bilateral interactions will deepen.
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