Russia, India, China to cooperate in energy, global issues

Beijing, Feb 3: Russia, India and China on Monday agreed to explore the potential for cooperation in the field of oil and natural among themselves and in other fields of energy and in environmental protection and to further strengthen coordination on global issues.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met for the 13th Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Russia-India-China trilateral here.

In a joint communiqué, the three countries stressed on the importance of pursuing a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation and on the need to respect diversity of civilisations and the independent choice of development path and social system by the people of all countries and, support peaceful settlement of disputes through political and diplomatic means.

"They expressed their support to the idea of adopting a UN General Assembly resolution on the inadmissibility of intervention and interference in the internal affairs of states. They opposed forced regime change in any country from the outside, or imposition of unilateral sanctions based on domestic laws," said the communique.

The West has slapped sanctions on Russia over the unrest in Ukraine and the breakaway of Crimea. The government in Ukraine is backed by the West and is anti-Russia, a departure from the earlier government which was perceived as pro-Kremlin. In Syria too, the West has been insistent on change of the violence-hit government of President Bashar-al-Assad, which Russia, and China have been against while India has maintained negotiations as the way out.

They also backed the need for comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more representative and efficient, so that it could better respond to global challenges. Foreign Ministers of China and Russia reiterated the importance they attached to the status of India in international affairs and supported its aspiration to play a greater role in the United Nations.

IANS