A high-ranking Russian official said on Wednesday that India should keep in mind the old relations and the help provided by Russia in the past.
The comments come in the backdrop of a US Deputy Secretary’s visit to India to discuss various issues.
Russia’s Consul General in Mumbai Alexei Surovtsev also said that India has the right to pursue its interests.
He said Russia would “appreciate” if India takes into consideration certain aspects of India-Russia relations.
Surovtsev told PTI on the sidelines of an event here that India should keep in mind the “long-standing friendly relations” even before the country’s independence in 1947.
“In addition, we certainly know of special examples of this friendship such as 1971 when Soviet ships followed the Indian army and navy in the Bay of Bengal,” he said. So, of course we are extremely appreciative that India has maintained this.”
Surovtsev was responding to a question regarding the ongoing visit of US Deputy Secretary of State for Counterterrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.
According to the US Treasury Department, enforcement of sanctions is one of Nelson’s key agendas, along with other matters such as tackling illicit finance, anti-money laundering issues.