- Joint statement comes after Indian Premier Narendra Modi hosts Russian President Vladimir Putin for annual summit in New Delhi
NEW DELHI
Russia and India on Friday voiced concern over the situation in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, and called on all parties to remain committed to the "cessation of conflict."
In a joint statement, Moscow and New Delhi reiterated their commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East and called for “restraint, protection of civilians and compliance with international law, and the need to refrain from taking actions that could further escalate the situation and compromise regional stability.”
The two sides also “expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and strongly stressed the importance for all parties concerned to remain committed to agreements and understandings reached between them for cessation of conflict, humanitarian assistance and a sustainable peace.”
The joint statement came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 23rd annual India-Russia summit in New Delhi.
It also came amid renewed attacks by Israel in the Gaza Strip, in violation of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10.
On the Iranian nuclear issue, Moscow and New Delhi “stressed the importance of resolving” the issue through dialogue.
The two sides exchanged several documents, including memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on trade and commerce, migration and mobility, maritime cooperation (port and shipping development), health and food safety, fertilizers, academic exchanges, media cooperation and enhancing people-to-people ties.
According to the joint statement, Russia and India “agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral settlements through the use of the national currencies in order to ensure the uninterrupted maintenance of bilateral trade.”
They also agreed to “continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms.”
Russia and India have raised bilateral ties to a “special and privileged strategic partnership” and set a target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. The current bilateral trade volume stands at around $68.7 billion.
Putin arrived in India on late Thursday for the summit, which came as New Delhi faces mounting pressure from the US to halt purchases of Russian oil.
Washington has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian imports, partly for purchasing Russian oil amid the continuing war.