Top Indian & Russian MPs meet in Moscow

The head of the Indian parliament’s international affairs committee, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, met his Russian counterpart, Leonid Slutsky, on Tuesday in Moscow. The two lawmakers exchanged opinions on the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Gaza, the Ukraine conflict, and the recent military escalation between New Delhi and Islamabad.

The discussions focused on potential ways to peacefully resolve the Ukraine conflict and the outcome of direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul last month, the Russian side has said. Other issues on the agenda included regional security issues in Asia and inter-parliamentary cooperation within the BRICS framework.

While Tharoor’s trip to Moscow was organized at the invitation of RT, Russia-India bilateral featured on the agenda, with both sides reaffirming the strategic and long-term relationship between the two nations.

“Today’s meeting is a valuable opportunity for close dialogue with senior legislators from countries that play pivotal roles in global politics and international affairs,” Slutsky said following the event. He also called India a “key member of BRICS” and maintained it was of key importance that the group’s members “begin serious discussions about developing a parliamentary dimension” within its framework in the near future.