Also, the Russian envoy said that India can take advantage of this situation to strengthen economic ties with Russia as Russia’s western partners have refused to cooperate with it. The Russian envoy said the current situation has provided an “opportunity” for Indian businesses to expand their presence in Russia.
The Russian Embassy posted a video on its Twitter handle in which Ambassador Denis Alipov made comments. Alipov said, “This crisis will have an impact on the whole world including India-Russia relations. To what extent it will go, no one can say about this.
“We believe that our relations are developing in the interest of both the countries and are of strategic nature,” he said. Referring to the possible impact of Western sanctions on India-Russia relations, he said, “A bilateral mechanism is already in the works for mutual settlement in national currencies. The only question is how to use it on a large scale.
The ambassador suggested that wider use of the mechanism would help reduce the impact of sanctions. “It would be better for Indians to take advantage of this situation and more actively enter the Russian market at a time when many Western partners have refused to cooperate with us,” he said.
Alipov said, “This situation is like an opportunity for Indian businesses. It is also an occasion for India to take a closer look at cooperation with Russia.” The envoy also expressed appreciation for India’s “independent” foreign policy. “We have said time and again that we welcome India’s independent foreign policy and the strengthening of its role and influence in the international arena,” he said.
India has distanced itself from the motion of condemnation brought in the United Nations against Russia for the military invasion of Ukraine. “We have never put any pressure on them (India) and as you know, we have not put any conditions. Indians are now under tremendous pressure in America.
On the evacuation of stranded Indians from conflict zones in Ukraine, the Russian envoy said that his government was trying its best to evacuate Indians from the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Sumy and Pisochin. Alipov claimed that around 3,000 Indians were stranded in Kharkiv, around 900 in Pisochin and 670 in Sumy. However, at a press conference on Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said that the process of safe evacuation of Indians from Kharkiv and Pisochin is almost complete.