As published by TV BRICS in the African Times
The trilateral cooperation format Russia-India-China (RIC) may create a unique diplomatic platform where each party not only advances its own interests but also builds a balance within the modern system of regional and global economic and political relations.
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This was stated in an exclusive comment to TV BRICS by Doctor of Economics, Professor, and Director of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), St. Petersburg, Andrey Khlutkov.
“The prospects for the resumption and sustainable functioning of the RIC triangle appear quite realistic. […] The position of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and statements from the Russian side regarding their interest are important signals indicating a possible imminent activation of cooperation within this format,” said Andrey Khlutkov.
The expert believes that key areas of cooperation within RIC may include logistics, energy, technology, settlements in national currencies, and humanitarian ties. He added that such cooperation would enable Russia to strengthen its strategic links in Asia, China to promote multipolarity, and India to reinforce its autonomy in foreign policy.
In turn, Candidate of Economic Sciences and Associate Professor of the Department of Strategic and Innovative Development of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Khachaturyan, noted that the RIC format may become not only a platform for coordinating the positions of Russia, India, and China on key issues but also a tool for identifying new vectors for the development of multilateral cooperation among leading world economies.
“In the current political and economic climate, the RIC format could become a defining foundation for the emerging multipolar world,” Mikhail Khachaturyan stated.
A similar view was expressed by Ruslan Grebnev, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Global Processes at Lomonosov Moscow State University’s Department of International Cooperation. According to him, the priority of RIC will be the expansion of economic ties and humanitarian cooperation, which will be built on the principles of civilisational dialogue.
“The revival of the RIC format acts as a stabilising factor amid the transformation of the international relations system. RIC may play an important role in shaping the foundations of the Eurasian security system and a new stage in the evolution of global political processes,” the deputy dean claimed.
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However, as noted by Candidate of Political Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Socio-Economic Studies of China at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences Nelli Semenova, the sustainability of the format will depend on the ability of the participants to find a balance between strategic interests and current political and economic realities.
“The potential of RIC as a coordination platform remains, but its practical implementation will significantly depend on the evolution of the international situation,” said Nelli Semenova.
Earlier, the official representative of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, stated that China is ready to maintain contact with Russia and India to promote trilateral cooperation. Prior to that, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko reported that Moscow is holding talks with New Delhi and Beijing on resuming the mechanism’s work.
The RIC format was proposed by Russia in 1998 and laid the foundation for the formation of BRICS.
This article has been published in partnership with the African Times.
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