India, Russia hold discussions on strategic issues

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) India and Russia held discussions on key strategic issues such as nuclear energy, space and defence, apart from deliberations on the situation in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Iran and other regions. During the "Comprehensive Foreign Office Consultations" in New Delhi on Thursday, the two sides discussed strategic sectors of cooperation such as nuclear energy, space and defence, along with other issues of bilateral significance in the economic, consular, protocol and cultural areas, a release of the Ministry of External Affairs said. In the consultations, the Indian side was led by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and the Russian side by First Deputy Foreign Minister I Denisov. The senior officials also discussed preparations for commemorating 65 years of diplomatic relations between India and Russia, slated for April 13. "Regional and global issues were reviewed comprehensively during the consultations. Both sides discussed in detail the situation in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Iran and other regions," it said. Mathai and Denisov also discussed bilateral cooperation in multilateral fora including the UN, G-20, SCO, East Asia Summit and BRICS, particularly the next BRICS Summit being held in New Delhi. They agreed to continue close consultations, including through focused meetings on specific issues and regions. PTI