External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held bilateral discussions with Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who is on an official visit to India, focusing on enhancing ties between the two nations. During the meeting, Jaishankar expressed optimism about the growing momentum in the bilateral relationship between India and Ukraine. He highlighted the importance of the intergovernmental commission meeting and welcomed Minister Kuleba's visit as an opportunity to gain insights into the regional situation.
In his opening remarks, the External Affairs Minister stated, "...Today, after this discussion, we look forward also to the meeting of the intergovernmental commission. Your visit gives us an opportunity to understand the situation in your own region...Our teams have prepared a very substantial agenda for discussions..."
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reciprocated, emphasising the "traditional friendship" between India and Ukraine while expressing eagerness to explore new avenues of cooperation. He underscored the strategic perspective of the relationship and expressed the intention to revive and strengthen the existing ties.
"India and Ukraine have been traditional friends, but I think there is much more that we can do and should do, not only in the interest of our nations but also in the interest of global development and security architecture. We will be looking forward to restoring what existed before the large-scale invasion of Russia and Ukraine began," he said, as per ANI
Kuleba remarked, "...We will be looking forward to restoring what existed before the large-scale invasion of Russia and Ukraine began. We will be looking forward to discussing new areas and projects of our cooperation because I do believe that this relationship has a strategic perspective..."
Elabourating about the meeting, Jaishankar took to X and posted, "Pleased to co-chair the review meeting of our Inter-Governmental Commission with FM @DmytroKuleba
of Ukraine. Noted the importance of further strengthening cooperation in all domains. Our immediate goal is to get trade back to earlier levels. Perspectives on trade, health, S&T and agriculture cooperation shared today were useful. We agreed to prepare for the 7th IGC meeting later this year."
In another post, he informed that their bilateral discussions focused on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and its wider ramifications. "Exchanged views on various initiatives in that context. Spoke as well on global and regional issues of interest to both of us. Reiterated our commitment to strengthen the overall relationship, including bilateral cooperation," he added.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister's India Visit
The official visit of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to India follows a recent telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to bolstering the partnership between India and Ukraine across various domains.
Kuleba's agenda includes discussions on bilateral ties, cooperation on regional and global issues, and interactions with Indian business leaders. The visit underscores the mutual desire to deepen ties and explore avenues for collaboration in diverse fields.