External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on December 28 said that the relationship between India and Russia is not just about diplomacy or economics, it is something much deeper.

Mr. Jaishankar, who is here on a five-day official visit to Russia, made the remarks while interacting with Indologists at St. Petersburg State University.

“The relationship between India and Russia is not just about politics or diplomacy or economics. It is something much deeper,” he said, adding that the intelligentsia’s role and the contribution of scholars to this understanding and bonding is very important. He said India and Russia are always trying to find new linkages, common points and the intellectual world can make a difference. “We need to have a direct understanding of each other rather than by other countries or societies deciding it,” he said.