OREANDA-NEWS. October 28, 2009. At the outset I would like to express my gratitude to our Indian colleagues, Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna and the authorities of the city of Bangalore for the excellent organization of our work and traditional hospitality.

We highly appreciate the results of the just-concluded ninth regular RIC ministerial meeting. We examined a wide range of international issues, pressing regional problems and ways to implement joint trilateral projects in specific areas.

In our common view, the global financial and economic crisis is a reflection of the fact that the post-Second World War global architecture is not consistent with the existing objective reality.

Russia, India and China have agreed to coordinate their actions in the general bid towards the establishment of a more centric, a more democratic and equitable international system, both in the economy, currency and finance and in the realm of international security.

We also agreed to coordinate our approaches to international debate on sustainable energy security.

We agreed to cooperate on climate and UN reform.

Our three countries concur on the need to intensify international efforts to combat terrorism and drug trafficking.

Among regional themes we paid special attention to the situation in Afghanistan. We are not indifferent to what is happening in that friendly country near the borders of our two states. We are all interested in continuing to be actively and concretely involved in international efforts to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan, to eliminate terrorist and narcotic threats and help the socioeconomic recovery of that country. We will continue to work in this direction, particularly in light of the decisions that were adopted at the special conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Afghanistan held in Moscow.

We have coinciding approaches to the need to intensify efforts for a political and diplomatic resolution of the situation on the Korean peninsula, primarily in terms of the nuclear problem, as well as the situation around the Iranian nuclear program.

As part of RIC, practical cooperation is successfully evolving in specific areas; the expert mechanisms concerning agriculture, health care and emergency situations are operating successfully. Meetings of the business communities of the three countries have become regular. Today we looked at how to step up collaboration on these issues and what additional areas to engage in, where trilateral cooperation will be mutually beneficial.

Overall, we can say that RIC is an already valid international format. Its value lies primarily in the fact that it is an effective mechanism for boosting our trustful partnership and an important factor in shaping a multipolar world order. At the core of our partnership, at the core of trilateral cooperation is the consonance of the basic interests of the peoples of Russia, India and China.

We have today approved a comprehensive Joint Statement. I hope that you with interest will acquaint yourselves with this important document.

In closing, I would again like to thank our Indian friends for a well-organized meeting and express our gratitude to the Chinese friends for the invitation to the next RIC ministerial meeting in the PRC.