New Delhi, 02 April (H.S.):

A parliamentary delegation from the Russian Federation led by Vladimir Yakushev, First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, called on Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Shri Harivansh in the Parliament House on Thursday. Welcoming the delegation, Harivansh expressed pleasure at Yakushev’s first visit to India and noted that his appointment as Head of the Friendship Group of the Federation Council for cooperation with Rajya Sabha underscores the high priority Russia accords to parliamentary engagement with India.

In a statement issued by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Harivansh highlighted that India and Russia have a long‑standing tradition of rich and meaningful dialogue at the parliamentary level. Recalling recent exchanges, he mentioned that Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma, had visited India in February 2025, while a multi‑party Indian parliamentary delegation led by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi had travelled to Russia to discuss the Pulwama terrorist attack and India’s “Operation Sindoor,” receiving strong Russian support in the fight against terrorism.

Harivansh stressed that the current visit would further strengthen parliamentary cooperation and accelerate the growing bilateral engagement, which he described as progressing in an encouraging manner. Noting that President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to India in December 2025 and the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit were highly successful, he said the agreements and MoUs signed across sectors had opened new avenues of cooperation and deepened existing linkages, with dialogue at the ministerial and official levels also expanding steadily.

Emphasising economic ties, Harivansh observed that trade and economic cooperation remains a key pillar of the relationship, with bilateral trade reaching about 70 billion US dollars, well above the 30‑billion‑dollar annual target set for 2025. He expressed hope that the 100‑billion‑dollar annual trade target set by the two leaders for 2030 would be achieved.

On the cultural front, he recalled the record‑setting public response to the exhibition of relics of Lord Shakyamuni Buddha from the National Museum in India at Kalmikiya in October, which he cited as a powerful symbol of the ancient civilisational bond between the two countries.

Harivansh also highlighted active India–Russia coordination in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, G20, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). He welcomed India’s chairmanship of BRICS this year and appreciated Russia’s support for the Indian presidency, expressing India’s eagerness to host Russian delegations for various BRICS meetings, particularly the BRICS Parliamentary Forum.

On the institutional side, he said the level of cooperation between the two parliaments has been extremely positive, with the Inter‑Parliamentary Commission playing a key role in facilitating contacts. He informed the delegation that the India–Russia Parliamentary Friendship Group on the Indian side had been constituted in February 2026 and expressed hope that the new co‑chairs and members from both sides would meet soon to resume meaningful dialogue.

The Deputy Chairman added that both sides could work to increase engagement among young and women parliamentarians, which would further strengthen the bilateral relationship.

Concluding the meeting, Harivansh stated that India and Russia should continue their efforts to deepen parliamentary cooperation and further consolidate their wide‑ranging partnership.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar