Russia, India and China (RIC) share common views on key world issues, which makes the three countries allies in solving them, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said here on Sunday.
"The fact that we are geographically connected by our territories and politically we share views on the key problems of the world order, and are interested in resolving all disputes peacefully, are interested in a free, open, fair trade and economic system - all this makes us allies on these issues," the minister told the Rossiya 1 broadcaster.
Lavrov noted that all the BRICS countries, including India and China, co-authored statements criticizing misconduct regarding the functions of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demanding that all states respect the Chemical Weapons Convention and their obligations under it.
The minister also said that India and Russia were acting in solidarity in the UN voting on issues of principle.
The leaders of Russia, India and China agreed during the G20 summit to continue meetings and instructed the ministers to prepare proposals for expanding cooperation between the countries, Lavrov said.
"The leaders agreed to continue meetings at the highest level and, in the meantime, instructed the foreign ministers to prepare for the leadership of the RIC countries proposals on how to make this cooperation more effective and promote it in new areas," the minister said.
The issues uniting the countries were emphasized at the meeting of the RIC format, he added.
"First of all, this is the desire to prevent the collapse of multilateral universal institutions that operate on the basis of the UN Charter and the principles enshrined in it - equality, respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs," Lavrov explained.
In general, the parties agreed to uphold the foundations of a multilateral, open economic and trade system, Lavrov concluded.
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