No decision on reviving Russia-India-China mechanism yet: MEA

When MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the matter at a weekly media briefing, he said no decision had been made so far in this regard.

Published on: Jul 18, 2025, 05:00:13 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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India on Thursday was non-committal on the revival of the Russia-India-China (RIC) mechanism, saying the matter will have to be worked out by the three countries in a “mutually convenient manner”.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this consultative format is a mechanism where the three countries...discuss global issues and regional issues of interest to them.

Following comments by Russian leaders about the revival of RIC, China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that Beijing is ready to communicate with Moscow and New Delhi on advancing trilateral cooperation.

When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the matter at a weekly media briefing, he said no decision had been made so far in this regard.

“This consultative format is a mechanism where the three countries...discuss global issues and regional issues of interest to them,” Jaiswal said.

“As to when this particular RIC format meeting is going to be held, it is something that will be worked out among the three countries in a mutually convenient manner, and we will let you know as and when that happens at an appropriate time when the meeting is to take place,” he added.

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Russia’s deputy foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko was quoted by the Russian media as saying on Thursday that Moscow expects the resumption of the RIC format and is discussing this issue with Beijing and New Delhi.

“This topic appears in our negotiations with both of them. We are interested in making this format work, because these three countries are important partners, besides the founders of Brics,” Rudenko said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to Rudenko’s comments by saying cooperation between India, China and Russia serves the interests of the three countries and upholds peace, security, stability and progress in the region and in the world.

“China stands ready to maintain communication with Russia and India on advancing the trilateral cooperation,” Lin said.

Last month, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said at an event organised by a think tank in Moscow that he expected the RIC mechanism to be revived following signs of a thaw in India-China relations.

“It [RIC] has met several times over the past years. Our meetings have been on pause for a while, first, because of the pandemic and later because of the escalation on the India-China border. Reportedly, the situation is getting better, and we expect RIC to resume its work soon,” Lavrov said.

People familiar with the matter said no meeting of the RIC mechanism has been agreed to at this point in time. There are no discussions underway on the scheduling of such a meeting, they said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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