By Admin 
Amidst the war situation in the Middle East, energy shortage has started in many countries of the world. Meanwhile, India’s old ally Russia has said that it will fulfill energy supply related agreements with India. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that relations between the two countries are based on friendship and there is no situation in which their paths should part.
India’s interests will not be harmed: Russia
In an interview with ‘Russia Today-India’ ahead of his visit to New Delhi this week, Lavrov praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is one of the most energetic leaders in the world. He said, ‘I can guarantee that there will be no harm to India’s interests in relation to Russian supplies. We will make every effort to ensure that this unfair and dishonest competition does not harm our agreements.
Lavrov stressed that Russia has never failed to fulfill its obligations to India or anyone else in terms of energy supplies. He said, ‘Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is our major project. It fulfills a significant part of India’s needs. Cooperation is continuing on the construction of new power units for this nuclear plant. Still, India needs more. We are continuing to supply hydrocarbons like gas, oil and coal.
The paths of Russia and India will not diverge: Lavrov
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is being constructed in Tamil Nadu with the technological assistance of Russia. Its construction started in March 2002. Since February 2016, Unit 1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has been operating continuously at its design capacity of 1,000 MW. According to Russian state media, the plant is expected to begin operating at full capacity in 2027.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said, ‘He (PM Modi) has immense energy and he directs it towards extremely important goals, such as achieving maximum sovereignty in all areas. Preservation of economy, army, defence, culture and civilizational wealth of India, which is unmatched in comparison to any other country. Lavrov said that relations between India and Russia are based on friendship and there is no situation in which their paths should part.
In response to a question, he said, ‘There is not just one word for these relations. This is not because human languages are not so rich, but because it is difficult to imagine such a perfect and deep connection. Such a situation where our paths diverge is not possible, it is unimaginable. We started our talks from the foundation of Russian-Indian relations, that is, friendship.
Hindi-Russian brother brother: Lavrov
Referring to ‘Hindi-Russi Bhai Bhai’, Lavrov said that it is not just a funny slogan, but it has become a part of our culture. He said, ‘Indian cinema, Raj Kapoor, recent television series and films – all these are extremely popular in Russia, everywhere, in every corner. The economy, joint energy production, military cooperation, nuclear and other forms of energy, cultural and human-to-human relations, and high-level political dialogue marked by unprecedented trust – all are extremely strong.’
Some people are trying to weaken our relations: Lavrov
Lavrov said, ‘Anyone concerned about the future of Russia-India friendship can rest assured. We must always be alert to the threats that some pose to undermine our relations and impose their own rules for dealing with Russia. We are watching all this and so are our Indian friends. This is why the continued failure of these efforts is all the more significant.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that during his visit to India, Lavrov will hold talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and attend the meeting of BRICS foreign ministers. It said that the two ministers will exchange views on current international and regional issues.
The statement said, ‘Special attention is expected to be given to the situation in West Asia. The ministers are also expected to discuss cooperation within the United Nations, BRICS and G20. It said that both the ministers will discuss various dimensions of priority areas of bilateral cooperation.
The ministry said, ‘These include expanding trade, accelerating efforts to build sustainable transportation, logistics and financial channels safe from illegal external pressure, deepening energy cooperation and increasing cooperation in science and space technology.’
Also read: Fuel shortage: Air India drastically cuts flights on 29 international routes till August, see full list