New Delhi: The Russian envoy to India, Denis Alipov, said on Saturday while his country remains New Delhi's "reliable and time-tested friend", the US is trying to threaten the relationship with sanctions."In India, Russia enjoys a solid reputation as a reliable, sincere, well-intentioned, time-tested friend. Such an image was initially shaped due to the major contribution of the USSR to Indian socio-economic development, and it largely persists to this day," he said.
In an interview with the RT news agency, the Russian envoy added, "US officials who come here do not hesitate to directly state that they are pursuing the goal of tearing New Delhi away from Moscow. They are even making threats with secondary sanctions. Some Indian partners are forced to exercise caution, sometimes, frankly speaking, excessively, but there are also a significant number of those for whom such an approach is unacceptable."
Read this also: BSF shoots down another China-made drone near India-Pak border in Punjab
Highlighting the growing bilateral ties, the Russian envoy said, "Our ties continue to steadily expand in a wide range of areas according to our converging national interests. But unlike our Western partners, we have never conditioned cooperation on politics, have not interfered in domestic affairs, and have always maintained mutually respectful and trusted relationships. Therefore, even now we mainly see a growing desire to keep working together and finding ways to overcome well-known impediments caused by destructive unilateral approaches."
"It should be noted that over the recent years the number of such contacts has increased manifold, and they are becoming more and more meaningful, including distributing information detailing the economic and investment potential and promising areas for interaction. It is indicative that the current bilateral trade turnover, which at the end of 2023 may exceed $60 billion, is several times higher than the pre-sanctions figures.(ANI)
