NEW DELHI: Calling Russia as a “time-tested partner”, India today said it has strong political and military ties with it but there was a need to lend greater balance to the relationship by boosting economic cooperation.
In his address to the first-ever India-Russia Media Rountable hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs here, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar also said a more ambitious target has been set to take bilateral trade to USD 30 billion by 2025.
“We enjoy a special and privileged strategic partnership. These are words which have not been chosen lightly but bring about something really very distinctive about our relationship.
“And, we have worked really very hard, especially in the last two years, to give this relationship more content,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary, in the presence of Russia’s Deputy Minister of Telecom and Mass Communication Alexey Volin, also said the roundtable being held on the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries was “particularly noteworthy”. (AGENCIES)