Russia to Hire Around 70,000 Indian Skilled Workers This Year, Govt Tells Parliamentary Panel
India and Russia aim to deepen economic cooperation while New Delhi continues diplomatic efforts on the Ukraine conflict and seeks the release of Indian nationals serving in the Russian military.
NEW DELHI, Oct 3: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday briefed a parliamentary consultative committee on India’s wide-ranging engagement with Russia, covering trade, investment, energy, connectivity, culture and people-to-people relations.
Chairing the meeting on India-Russia relations, Jaishankar outlined New Delhi’s position on the Ukraine conflict and its continuing diplomatic efforts to support dialogue and help facilitate a peaceful resolution.
During the meeting, the minister informed the panel that Russia has agreed to accept around 70,000 skilled Indian workers this year, particularly for employment in the construction and logistics sectors, people familiar with the discussions said.
On economic ties, Jaishankar highlighted the shared objective of expanding bilateral trade in a more balanced manner. He said India was looking to increase exports to Russia across seven key sectors, including automobiles, pharmaceuticals, food, marine products, engineering goods, chemicals and textiles.
Energy cooperation also featured prominently in the discussions. Jaishankar said India’s primary concern was to protect the interests of domestic consumers while maintaining a reliable supply of energy.
“Our approach is to maintain multiple sources of supply,” he said, according to people familiar with the meeting.
In a social media post following the meeting, Jaishankar said he discussed several dimensions of India’s engagement with Russia, including commerce, investments, energy, connectivity, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
He also highlighted India’s active support for dialogue and diplomacy aimed at bringing the Ukraine conflict to an end.
India’s diplomatic efforts toward peace were discussed in detail during the meeting. Jaishankar referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s August 31 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek, where the Indian leader stressed that the “endless war” should now give way to an end to the conflict.
Jaishankar had travelled to Ukraine last month and subsequently held meetings with the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
During those engagements, he conveyed India’s readiness to contribute in any way that could help end the war, the people said.
The committee also took note of Putin’s recent remarks at the Valdai Club in Moscow, where he said Modi had “very good ideas” for finding mutually acceptable solutions to the conflict.
Recent comments by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcoming India’s peace efforts were also highlighted during the discussions.
The meeting additionally covered the government’s efforts to secure the release of Indian nationals serving in the Russian military.
Jaishankar told the panel that Indian authorities have been engaging with Russian officials, including at the highest levels, to ensure the early discharge of all Indian nationals serving there.
According to people familiar with the matter, around 140 Indian nationals have so far been discharged. India remains in contact with Russian authorities regarding the whereabouts of 55 other Indian nationals who are reportedly serving with the Russian Army.
