Russia, India and China pledge to work together to steer global economic governance

The RIC - Russia, India and China - Summit held at the margins of G20 meet here on Friday pledged that the three countries should work together to steer global economic governance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping of China met here under the aegis of 'Russia-India-China' Trilateral forum for the first time in 12 years.

Last time the group had met was in 2006. "This meeting today comes 12 years," Mr Modi said in the opening remarks and thanked the Russian leader Putin for taking the initiative to revive it after so many years.

"It was a very warm meeting, very positive meeting," Foreign Secretary VIjay Gokhale later said briefing journalists about the deliberations between three leaders.

"All the three leaders felt that it was important for them to cooperate in various areas in order to contribute global peace and prosperity. So the general sentiment in the room and views expressed by them were very similar," he said.

"They all felt we should work together to steer global economic governance. They felt that the three countries should work together in areas, where they could promote peace and stability in regional crisis and also work together on terrorism," Mr Gokhale said.

The Foreign Secretary said the leaders also felt that they should work together during disasters and in general feeling was not that the cooperation will be directed against any body, but it should be basd on "how these three countries each having their role in the world could contribute to the global good".

The leaders also felt that it was a fruitful meeting and such meetings should be continued in the margins of international conferences.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Modi also said that - "We are also far behind from the goals of sustainable development".

"In such international atmosphere, it is only in fitness of things that India, Russia and China - making it more than one third of global population - should come together," Mr Modi said.

It is only imperative that the onus is on these countries now to give further push to multilateralism and ensure respect for the 'rules of international' polity.

"RIC should therefore focus on four fronts primarily. They are regional and global stability, economic prosperity, experience sharing for mutual benefits and active cooperation to deal with new challenges," Prime Minister said virtually laying down the roadmap for the group - which had remained dormant since 2006.