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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed Moscow’s “genuine interest” in reviving the long-dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral dialogue, stating that the time is opportune in light of apparent easing of tensions between New Delhi and Beijing.

 

“I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika — Russia, India, China — which was established many years ago on the initiative of [former Russian Prime Minister] Yevgeny Primakov, and which has organised meetings more than 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at the level of foreign policy chiefs, but also the heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of the three countries,” Lavrov said.

 

He was addressing a plenary session of an international social and political conference on Eurasian security and cooperation held in the Russian city of Perm, located in the Ural mountains where Europe meets Asia.

 

“As of today, as I understand, an understanding has been reached between India and China on how to ease the situation on the border, and it seems to me that the time has come for the revival of this RIC troika,” Lavrov stressed.

 

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The RIC platform has remained largely inactive since the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020, which plunged India-China ties to a historic low. However, a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan in October 2024 marked a potential thaw, with both leaders agreeing on the need to improve relations.

 

Lavrov also voiced concern over what he characterised as Western attempts to sow discord in the region.

 

“I have no doubts that our Indian friends, and I say this on the basis of confidential conversations with them, obviously see this trend that can be actually deemed as a large provocation,” Lavrov added, in reference to NATO’s alleged efforts to draw India into anti-China configurations.

 

He warned that NATO was “blatantly trying to lure India into anti-China intrigues”, citing what he called a provocative strategy that could imperil regional cooperation.