New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) India and Russia held Foreign Office Consultations here on Monday, reviewing their Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership and discussing bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko co-chaired the Foreign Office Consultations.

In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "India-Russia Foreign Office Consultations, co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, were held in New Delhi today."

"Both sides reviewed the full spectrum of Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership and shared perspectives on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest," he added.

On March 17, India and Russia held the 7th UN Consultations in New Delhi, with discussions focused on issues related to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) agenda, particularly counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, UNSC reforms and others.

"Both sides exchanged their priorities in the United Nations. The discussions focused on issues related to United Nations Security Council (UNSC) agenda, in particular counterterrorism, peacekeeping, UNSC reforms, among others," Jaiswal posted on X.

On March 11, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and discussed the West Asia conflict and expanding bilateral ties.

"A good telecon with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of Russia. Shared our assessments on the West Asia conflict and related diplomatic efforts. Also took stock of our bilateral cooperation agenda," Jaishankar posted on X.

The call between the two ministers took place amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which started after joint US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28. In response, Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting US assets, regional capitals and allied forces in West Asia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was on a two-day State visit to India in December, during which he held formal talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with both leaders reviewing the state of the India-Russia partnership as it completes 25 years since being designated a Strategic Partnership.

The discussions were followed by the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, during which the two sides released a Joint Statement outlining priorities for the coming years. Cooperation in energy, nuclear power, trade, defence and technology featured prominently.

President Droupadi Murmu hosted Putin at a banquet in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

--IANS

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