The Russian daily Vedomosti reported on Monday, Aug. 21 that “Russia and India are expanding their economic ties to unprecedented levels, propelling Moscow into the list of New Delhi’s top five trade partners, Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov has said. In an article for the Russian newspaper Vedomosti on Monday, he noted … `All of this is happening despite the desperate attempts by Western countries to isolate Russia.’ He added that there are `no problems of a fundamental nature’ in Russian-Indian relations, but the sanctions have created frictions. `The most vulnerable areas are finance and transportation, but we maintain dialogue in these areas. Among the priority tasks are the development of alternative logistics routes, and new paths for banking and insurance support with an emphasis on the use of national currency.’”
Alipov continued: “They continue to apply the same old approach, seeking to reshape the architecture of regional security in the Asia-Pacific region to fit their own standards. Our Indian friends are not falling for such maneuvers, they are demonstrating an unequivocal priority to preserve strategic autonomy and protect national interests,” the ambassador said. Vedomosti added that “the envoy pointed out that both countries share the goal of reducing reliance on the dollar and euro in international transactions, with India gradually switching to trade in national currencies with its partners…. Alipov praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for its focus on developing India’s economic potential and establishing the country as a global manufacturing hub, including in promising areas such as electronics, semiconductors, drones, and green energy.”
