India, China, Russia Trilateral Meet Soon? MEA Says ‘For The First Time In…’
Source: News18 | Original Published At: 2025-07-17 10:48:11 UTC
Key Points
- India signals openness to revive RIC trilateral talks after prolonged hiatus
- MEA confirms potential discussions on global/regional issues but no formal agreement yet
- Historical context of RIC dialogue rooted in Primakov's Eurasian bloc vision
- Russian FM Lavrov previously emphasized revival of RIC mechanism
- Past cooperation included disaster relief, agriculture, healthcare, energy sectors
India, China, Russia Trilateral Meet Soon? MEA Says ‘For The First Time In…’
The Russia–India–China (RIC) trilateral dialogue emerged in the late 1990s, rooted in ex-Russian PM Primakov’s vision of a trilateral Eurasian bloc to counter Western dominance.
India on Thursday signalled openness to reviving trilateral talks with China and Russia, saying the longstanding format could be explored again after a “long time.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) hinted that discussions on global and regional issues may soon take place under the mechanism.
“This is a mechanism where three countries come together to discuss global and regional issues. When this meeting happens, we will work out a mutually convenient date and let you know,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly briefing.
There is no agreement yet on holding a meeting in the RIC format, and no discussions are currently underway to schedule one, sources speaking to News18 said.
The Russia–India–China (RIC) trilateral dialogue emerged in the late 1990s, rooted in former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov’s vision of a trilateral Eurasian power bloc to balance Western dominance.
The External Affairs Ministry’s spokespersons comments on RIC comes months after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the time for the revival of the troika has come.
“I would like to confirm our genuine interest in earliest resumption of the work within the format of troika – Russia, India, China – which was established many years ago on the initiative of Yevgeny Primakov (former Russian PM), and which has organised meetings over 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at level of foreign policy chiefs, but also heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of three countries,” Lavrov said in June.
India continues to stress that China ties could normalize only if the border situation remained quiet.
One early landmark was the 2007 Delhi Security Summit, where China’s Li Zhaoxing, India’s Pranab Mukherjee, and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov discussed cross-border security, UN reform and regional flashpoints.
Between 2008 and 2010, India, China, and Russia expanded their trilateral engagement through a series of expert-level meetings that went beyond strategic dialogue. These working groups, held in cities like Samara, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Moscow and various locations in China, focused on cooperation in disaster relief, agriculture, healthcare, energy and high-tech innovation.