New York [US], September 28 (ANI): At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted that the economic partnership between India and Russia is 'not under threat' amid the US tariffs on India for buying Russian oil.

Responding to a question by ANI on secondary sanctions imposed on India by the US for importing Russian oil, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, '(The economic partnership between India and Russia) is not under threat... The Indian Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have made it clear that India chooses its own partners. If the US has proposals on how to enrich bilateral trade between the US and India, they are prepared to discuss the terms for that, whatever terms the US might put forth. But when it comes to trade, investment, economic, military, technological, and other relations between India and third states, it is something that India will discuss only with those states in question.'

On India buying Russian oil and India-Russia relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, '...We have full respect for the national interests of India, full respect for the foreign policy that Narendra Modi is carrying out to promote these national interests. We hold regular contacts at the highest level...'

Sergey Lavrov underlined the strategic relationship between India and Russia and said they have 'utmost respect' for the foreign policy of the Indian government to pursue its 'national interests' under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

'These situations that might arise between India and the United States or India and any other country, I can't consider them a criterion for relations between India and the Russian Federation. We have a strategic partnership, as we call it, for a long time, strategic partnership relations. At a certain point, our Indian friends proposed supplementing that term and we now call it a privileged strategic partnership and a little bit later, our Indian friends proposed another clarification now, we call it a particularly privileged strategic partnership. We have the utmost respect for India's national interests and the foreign policy that Narendra Modi is implementing to promote these interests. We hold regular contacts at the highest level.

He also recalled the recent meeting of PM Modi and President Putin at the SCO summit in China. He noted the 'close coordination' between the two countries at the International level.

'Just recently, Prime Minister Modi and President Putin met in Tianjin at the SCO summit in China. And in December, a visit from Mr Putin is being planned to New Delhi. We have a very extensive bilateral agenda, trade, military, technical cooperation, finance, humanitarian matters, healthcare, high-tech, artificial intelligence, and of course close coordination at the international level within the SCO, BRICS and bilaterally...' (ANI)