NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar reiterated India’s “steadfast” commitment to strengthening its long-standing partnership and cherished friendship with Russia as his counterpart Sergey Lavrov lauded India’s independent foreign policy focused on national interests, saying Russia is awaiting visit by PM Narendra Modi this year for the annual India-Russia summit.The ministers were speaking in a conference titled India and Russia: Towards a New Bilateral Agenda. Addressing the event virtually, Jaishankar said the evolving multipolar order necessitated greater cooperation, including through Brics, SCO, G20 and the UN. “India, during its Brics Chairmanship with a ‘humanity first’ and a ‘people-centric’ approach, looks forward to closely working with Russia to address shared challenges in a balanced and inclusive manner.” The minister said Russia was also India’s foremost partner in civil nuclear energy and Kudankulum nuclear project was a stellar example. Lavrov said the particularly privileged strategic partnership with New Delhi was among Russia’s unconditional foreign policy priorities. He added the time-tested friendship was a model of how interstate relations should be built, taking into account each other’s interests. “We highly appreciate that our Indian friends share this approach. The most respectworthy is that New Delhi – within the framework of the course for “strategic autonomy” – pursues an independent foreign policy, invariably focusing (on) national interests.”