Ahead of RIC, Jaishankar says meet is about international relations, no specific mention of China

New Delhi, June 23: External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar will joint his counterparts from Russia and China for a virtual meeting of the RIC (Russia-India-China)
Jaishankar, without naming China thanked Russia for convening the meeting and said that he was looking forward to the discussions.

This is a special meeting and reiterates our belief in the time-tested principles of international relations. But the challenge today is not just one of the concepts and norms, but equally of their practice.

The leading voices of the world must be exemplars in every way. Respecting international law, recognising the legitimate interests of partners, supporting multilaterism and promoting common good are the only way of building a durable world order, Jaishankar also said ahead of the meet.

The RIC meet is being held under the shadow of the India-China border standoff. There are clear indications that there may not be a joint statement following the meet. India was not keen on joining the RIC. However it was at the behest of Russia, which is a key strategic and military hardware supplier, India agreed to be part of the meeting.

Both India and Russia had indicated that the virtual meeting is a trilateral affair and this would mean that bilateral issues relating to the India-China standoff will not be on the agenda.

The Ministry of External Affairs had said that the RIC meet will focus on the fallout of COVID-19 pandemic and cooperation within the grouping to tackle the challenges.