'If the West criticises, it means you are doing everything right'

Roman Babushkin Charge dAffaires at the Russian Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday held a press briefing to discuss the IndiaRussia relations and the USimposed tariffs on Indiarsquos purchase of Russian crude oilSharply criticising Washingtons decision to impose tariffs along with the pressure placed on New Delhi regarding its oil imports from Russia Babushkin termed the measures unjustified and unilateralrdquo reported ANIHis remarks came as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar embarked on a visit to Moscow on Tuesday to cochair the RussiaIndia Intergovernmental Commission IRIGCAddressing the press in Delhi Babushkin stated If Indian goods are facing difficulties entering the US market the Russian market is welcoming Indian exportsRegarding the USs repeated calls for India to reduce its Russian oil imports Babushkin remarked that Russia is the largest producer of oil and India is the largest consumerldquoAny kind of unilateral action leads to disruptions in supply chains imbalance in pricing policies and destabilisation of global markets endangering the energy security of developing countries Hypothetically if India refuses Russian oil it will not lead to equal cooperation with the West because it is not in the Western nature as demonstrated in recent years They behave like neocolonial powers that think only of their own benefit This pressure is unjustified and unilateral he saidWhen asked about the statement made by the US Trade Adviser urging India to stop buying Russian oil to avoid secondary tariffs Babushkin expressed confidence that New Delhi would not bow to such pressureIf the West criticises you it means you are doing everything right We donrsquot expect that to happen India halting Russian oil imports We understand the challenging circumstances India faces This is the true strategic partnership we are enjoying Whatever happens even in the face of challenges we are committed to resolving any issues The recent phone call from President Putin to PM Modi ji where he shared information about recent developments in Ukraine shows that India matters a lot to Russia We are capable of finding any solution for mutual satisfaction The deepening of our partnership will help us grow together he saidBabushkin also pointed out that despite the ongoing issue of sanctions the bilateral trade between Russia and India has been growing reported ANIWe have faced this problem of sanctions for many years now but our trade has grown In recent years our trade has increased sevenfold he addedMeanwhile in Moscow Jaishankar is cochairing the RussiaIndia IRIGC a key platform for bilateral cooperation on trade energy finance and defence Babushkin emphasised the significance of Jaishankars visit describing IRIGC as the main mechanism of RussianIndian cooperationCurrently Dr Jaishankar the External Affairs Minister is in Russia to cochair the IRIGC today on the 20th of August Our meeting is very timely We are supporting our dignitaries in their discussions Tomorrow Dr Jaishankar will be meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Babushkin saidHe also stressed the importance of the IRIGC noting IRIGC is the main mechanism for RussianIndian practical cooperation It prepares the ground for the leaders contacts As you may be aware there are reports that by the end of the year leaders will be meeting here in Delhi though no dates have been announced yetThe IRIGC alternates between Moscow and New Delhi and this yearrsquos agenda according to Babushkin will cover trade investments financial cooperation energy cooperation nuclear power culture infrastructure etcOn the sidelines a bilateral business forum is being held cohosted by the Moscow Governmentrsquos Business Council on Cooperation with India and Indiarsquos FICCI Looking ahead Babushkin noted Among future engagements is the SCO Summit in China There are reports that our leaders are also planning to meet there Further delegation exchanges are very intense he addedThe Russian diplomat also mentioned that President Vladimir Putin had congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Indiarsquos Independence Day expressed condolences over the devastating floods in Kashmir and shared details of his recent conversation with US President Donald TrumpWith ANI inputs