Russia in favour of India becoming permanent member of UNSC: Envoy

At the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA)-Russian Council Dialogue, Russian Ambassador to Delhi Denis Alipov stated that Russia is in favour of India becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, ANI has reported.

"Russia supports India's commitment to becoming the permanent member of the US Security Council. We see the current Indian presidency in the G20 in the SCO as an opportunity to efficiently promote the agenda of these crucial associations. We appreciate the ideas on the consensus-based response to the challenges with regard to emerging energy and food crises, as well as through sustainable development needs. Especially in the global south," Alipov said, addressing the Indian Council of World Affairs-Russian Council Dialogue.

"We are working very closely on major topics such as supply chains, resilience, infrastructure financing, digital transformation, promotion of startups architecture, etc, which are supposed to significantly contribute to restoring the global economy. Together we also realized that in order to succeed, there should not be any place for artificial alienation rights which create mistrust and undermine stability," he added.

He continued by saying that there is rising demand from other vibrant emerging countries to join the BRICS, and this need has to be properly met.

The creation of a separate payment system necessitates a greater usage of national currencies, as the Russian ambassador to India recently noted.

"The process has accelerated in the duration space where SEO occupies a unique place as a gravitational platform. The continuous expansion of the organisation speaks for itself. So as we the prospects of intensified cooperation and security in energy investments, infrastructure, and logistics as well as people-to-people types. At the same time, we have a strong belief that Eurasian stability would greatly benefit from closer interaction between the three major powers in Asia Russia, India, and China," he said.

"Bilaterally we have done a great job building an independent payment system, expanding the use of national currencies in mutual settlements that ultimately ensure record-high turnover exceeding 30 billion USC last year. I would agree with Ambassador Kapoor that caution is there," Alipov added.

In the dialogue, Alipov also mentioned how Russia has grown to be India's top oil supplier and makes a significant contribution to the energy security of the nation.

He said that the economic and interregional contexts have received a lot of support. Infrastructure for airports, seaports, and railroads, steel manufacturing, petrochemistry, startups, aviation and shipbuilding, agriculture, sophisticated technology, development, and digitilisation all have enormous potential.

Russia has a lot to offer to India and vice-versa in all these areas, with western companies leading, the Russian Ambassador to India added.

In his address, the Russian Ambassador said further that India has taken a neutral stance as regards excluding Moscow from multilateral institutions.

"India has taken a neutral stance as regards the efforts to exclude Russia from multilateral institutions, including Opcwbwc, back to UNESCO and others. Our India's priority is to achieve democracy as global governance. With the enhanced role of developing states of Asia, Africa, and Latin America," Alipov said.

On the ongoing conflict between Russia-Ukraine, which started last year on 24 February, he said, "The Ukraine conflict is not a land-grabbing attempt by Russia to restore them as is being presented. It's the consequence of the consistent violation of the same universal principles that shrined in the Russia-India treaty and the unwillingness of the dominant world centers to embrace democracy in international relations.

It's not a coincidence that against this backdrop, the Indian position defending its legitimate national interests and Prime Minister of Sovereign Decisions gets criticised. Russia and India share a ramified network of platforms and groupings that help promote the prospective global agenda for the benefit of the broader international community."

Delhi-Moscow relations have received a lot of attention in the wake of the armed crisis in Ukraine, particularly in relation to the procurement of Russian oil.