BRICS Summit: Russia, Ukraine issue to be among many during bilateral talks with numerous leaders
New Delhi, September 08
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks with numerous leaders during the BRICS summit which will be held on 12th and 13th of this month in New Delhi. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this during a media briefing in New Delhi today. Mr Jaiswal said that the Russia and Ukraine conflict will be one of the many issues that will come up during the bilateral discussions.
On Russia-Ukraine conflict, the spokesperson said India is in touch with both the Ukrainian and Russian sides and is trying to see if there are ideas and suggestions that can contribute to the cessation of the conflict. He said External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar visited Ukraine and Poland recently. During his conversations, Dr Jaishankar noted that India has consistently maintained that this is not an era of war and solution will not emerge from the battlefield. He also underlined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments that endless war must now give way to the end of war.
Replying to another query, the spokesperson said two dozen people from India still continue to be in the Russian Army. He said India has taken up this matter with the Russian government and hopes to have them released at the earliest.
Speaking on devastating flash flood in Nepal, Mr Jaiswal said India has responded promptly and as a close friend and neighbour will continue to support Nepal’s relief, rescue, and reconstruction efforts. He said that 95 tonnes of relief material have been sent through seven aircraft, and some more material will be sent there soon. He said that Indian forensic team and tunnel rescue team are operating on the ground. The forensic team is currently working in two laboratories in Kathmandu, where they are working on one thousand two hundred DNA samples in these two laboratories. Mr Jaiswal said 275 Indian nationals are missing, including 49 people who went missing on the Chinese side. He said a total of 169 Indian nationals have been rescued so far.