(Pix) Chinese Foreign Ministers Li Zhaoxing, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and their Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov offer Indian-style greetings.(IRNA/New Delhi/ Feb 14) India, China and Russia Wednesday underlined the need for a multi-polar world through 'democratization' of international relations, with the UN having the central role as an 'effective and transparent' body.
Deciding to give a push to their trilateral forum, foreign ministers of the three countries, who held wide-ranging tripartite talks here, opposed 'confrontation' as a mechanism to govern approaches to regional and global affairs, including in the context of Iran's nuclear issue, apparently hinting at the US.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Russian minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese minister Li Zhaoxing held thorough discussions on issues like Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea and Middle East.
"The ministers discussed the political, security and economic aspects of the current global situation, besides exchanging views on how international relations are being presently conducted," a Joint Communique issued after the talks said.
The three sides 'expressed their conviction that democratization of international relations is the key to building an increasingly multi-polar world order that would be based on principles of equality of nations -- big or small, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, international law and mutual respect'.
The foreign ministers of the three countries have met three times in last two years.
A summit level meeting was held in July 2006 in St Petersburg of the heads of the three states.
It decided to give a necessary push to establish a trilateral forum to fight the challenges like terrorism, drug trafficking and crime at the international level.
The meeting comes less than a month after summit level talks between India and Russia in New Delhi.
Both Manmohan Singh and Putin showed keen interest in pushing cooperation under the trilateral format. They, however, made it clear that coming together of these countries is in no way directed against any third country.
India, China, Russia look for another wayIndia, China, Russia issue trilateral communique
India, China, Russia criticise 'double standards'India, China, Russia call for fairer world orderChina, India set up foreign ministerial hotlineIndia, China, Russia to meet for strategizing