Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov on Thursday highlighted Moscow's ties with New Delhi amid talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
"India is an extremely important strategic partner for us, a traditional friend, including a partner in the military and military-technical spheres," Belousov was quoted as saying in a ministry statement on Telegram during talks with Singh, held on the sidelines of an SCO Defense Ministers Meeting in China's eastern city of Qingdao.
The statement said Belousov conveyed his condolences with regards to the crash of Air India Flight 171 in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad earlier this month, which resulted in the death of 241 of the 242 passengers on board.
It further said that Belousov also thanked his counterpart for the participation of an Indian delegation in events held in the Russian capital on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day on May 9.
Both ministers arrived in China to take part in the Defense Ministers' Meeting held a day earlier.
The SCO, established in 2001, is an inter-governmental organization comprising 10 member states -- China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. All 10 member states’ defense ministers are in Qingdao for the summit.
