India-Russia-China troika not aimed against any country, says Pranab

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that the troika of India, Russia and China is not aimed against any country.

By Naveen Kapoor

New Delhi, Oct 23 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that the troika of India, Russia and China is not aimed against any country.

"It is not that," Mukherjee replied when asked whether the formation of the tri-lateral group is directed against any other group or country.

"We want to be benefit from each other's experience in the process of development, building up the economy," he said, adding, "We will discuss stability in Asia."

Mukherjee is on his way to Harbin in China to attend the India-Russia-China Foreign Minister level conference.

Accompanied by senior officials of the External Affairs Ministry, Mukherjee will hold discussions on regional and international issues, with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

This will be the third stand-alone trilateral Foreign Ministers' meeting after the last one in New Delhi on February 14, 2007 and the first one in Vladivostok on June 2, 2005.

The three foreign ministers have also met on the sidelines of multilateral forums in September 2002, September 2003, October 2004 and September 2005.

This is Mukherjee's first visit to China as External Affairs Minister. He first came here in 1994 on the invitation of the Planning Commission.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is also expected to leave for Beijing on Wednesday.

ANI