Russia vows to build on privileged strategic partnership with India

Russia will focus on strengthening its strategic partnership and trade ties with India in Eurasia and ensure their resistance to "destructive actions" of unfriendly states and their alliances, according to an updated foreign policy doctrine approved by President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The ties between India and Russia remained strong notwithstanding Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. India's import of Russian crude oil has gone up significantly in the last few months despite increasing disquiet over it in many Western countries.

According to the updated Concept of Foreign Policy, one of Russia's focus areas in Eurasia is strengthening strategic partnership and developing trade and other ties with India.

"Russia will continue to build up a particularly privileged strategic partnership with the Republic of India with a view to enhance and expand cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis and place special emphasis on increasing the volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances," according to a paragraph on Eurasia.

The concept was approved amid tension between Russia and the US over the war, with the US slapping thousands of sanctions on Russia, while militarily, economically and diplomatically supporting Ukraine.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

Eurasia is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia.

The concept also said Russia favours strengthening the potential and increasing the global role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South African Republic), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and the RIC (Russia, India, China).

To help adapt the world order to the realities of a multipolar world, the Russian Federation intends to make it a priority to enhance the capacity and international role of the interstate association of BRICS, SCO, CIS, the EAEU, the CSTO, the RIC and other interstate associations and international organisations, as well as mechanisms with strong Russian participation, the document reads.