Lok Sabha Question No. 663 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-04
Subject: RIC Group
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Satyadev Pachauri, Kaushalendra Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 663 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2022

## RIC GROUP

663.  SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH:

## SHRI SATYADEV PACHAURI:

## SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to state:

- (a) whether   Russia,   India   and   China   (RIC)   group   has   been formed;
- (b) if so, the details and the activities thereof;
- (c) whether   RIC   would   help   all   three   countries   in   better coordination specially between India and China and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the present stance of China on RIC with regard to resolution of border disputes and economic/business relations?

ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) & (b) An informal meeting of RIC (Russia, India and China) Foreign Ministers was first held in New York in September 2002 on the sidelines of the 57th session of the UN General Assembly. The RIC Foreign Ministers have since met 18 times. The last meeting was held in VC format in November 2021. (List of meetings placed at Annexure A)

The first Informal Summit of RIC Leaders was held on the sidelines of the G-8 Summit St. Petersburg (Russia) in July 2006. RIC leaders have so far met 3 times, with the last meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka (Japan) in June 2019. (List of meetings placed at Annexure B).

Discussions in RIC meetings pertain to common opportunities and challenges like terrorism, climate change, Covid-19 pandemic, etc. It also provides a useful platform for exchange of views on regional, multilateral and global issues of interest.

- (c) & (d) Bilateral issues are not discussed at RIC meetings.

## Annexure-A

## Russia-India-China Foreign Ministers' Meetings (FMM)

|   S. No. | Date              | Venue          | Remarks                               |
|----------|-------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|
|        1 | September 2002    | New York       | 1 st RIC FMM on the sidelines of UNGA |
|        2 | September 2003    | New York       | 2 nd RIC FMM on the sidelines of UNGA |
|        3 | October 2004      | Almaty         | 3 rd RIC FMM on the sidelines of CICA |
|        4 | 2 June 2005       | Vladivostok    | 4 th RIC FMM                          |
|        5 | September 2005    | New York       | 5 th RIC FMM on the sidelines of UNGA |
|        6 | 14 February 2007  | New Delhi      | 6 th RIC FMM                          |
|        7 | 25 October 2007   | Hebrin (China) | 7 th RIC FMM                          |
|        8 | 14-15 May 2008    | Yekaterinburg  | 8 th RIC FMM                          |
|        9 | 27 October 2009   | Bengaluru      | 9 th RIC FMM                          |
|       10 | 15 November 2010  | Wuhan (China)  | 10 th RIC FMM                         |
|       11 | 13 April 2012     | Moscow         | 11 th RIC FMM                         |
|       12 | 10 November 2013  | New Delhi      | 12 th RIC FMM                         |
|       13 | 2 February 2015   | Beijing        | 13 th RIC FMM                         |
|       14 | 18 April 2016     | Moscow         | 14 th RIC FMM                         |
|       15 | 11 December 2017  | New Delhi      | 15 th RIC FMM                         |
|       16 | 27 February 2019  | Wuzhen         | 16 th RIC FMM                         |
|       17 | 10 September 2020 | Moscow         | 17 th RIC FMM                         |
|       18 | 26 November 2021  | VC             | 18th RIC FMM                          |

## RIC Informal Summits

|   Sl No. | Date          | Venue          | Remarks                                                                               |
|----------|---------------|----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | July 2006     | St. Petersburg | 1 st Informal Summit (President Putin, PM Dr Manmohan Singh and President Hu Jintao ) |
|        2 | November 2018 | Buenos Aires   | 2 nd Informal Summit ( President Putin, PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping )   |
|        3 | June 2019     | Osaka          | 3 rd Informal Summit ( President Putin, PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping )   |

***

## Annexure-B