Russia, China and India talk energy

The foreign ministers of Russia, China and India are meeting in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin. Trade, arms deals and energy issues, as well as North Korea's nuclear programme, are dominating the talks.

After the meeting the ministers will hold a news conference to discuss the results.

Russia and China are currently at a very high level of mutual trust. The two states have very similar approaches to a wide range of issues.

Russia’s relations with India is one of Russian foreign policy’s priorities, and one of the most important tasks for Russia and India is developing trade and economic ties between the two countries. 

Meantime, Russia is not planning to form a military bloc with China and India, according Sergey Lavrov, who made the statement during the meeting.

“Russia, China and India are very good partners and we try to develop our friendship, but at the same time all these three countries are partners of the U.S., of Australia and of Japan, and there are a lot of issues where we work together, all these six countries – fighting terrorism, proliferation of nuclear weapons, local conflicts, ecology, economic questions, human interactions. So, of course, there is no question about forming some kind of alliance against America and its friends,” said Evgeny Bazhanov from the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow.

Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, attended the opening ceremony of a memorial to soldiers of the Soviet Army in Harbin. The memorial is dedicated to Soviet soldiers who fought to free north-eastern China from Japanese occupation.

The Harbin trip follows Lavrov’s talks with his Japanese counterpart, Masahiko Komura, on Tuesday.

Sergey Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart, Masahiko Komura, have said they are ready to move towards a peace settlement between the two countries. A dispute over who owns the Kuril Islands has prevented the signing of an official peace treaty since the end of the Second World War.

“The solution must be acceptable for both sides. We are ready for mutual peaceful work to be carried out. As long as bilateral co-operation grows, finding a solution will be easier,” said Sergey Lavrov.

“The most important thing is that the sides are not only continuing negotiations, but that the sides have a common goal of finding a solution,” stressed Masahiko Komura.