Strengthening India-Russia ties will be beneficial for us, PM Modi says in Moscow | External Affairs Defence & Security News

In his first trip since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday began a two-day visit to Russia to hold summit talks with President Vladimir Putin with a focus on strengthening bilateral ties in energy, trade and defence.

Soon after arriving in Moscow, Modi said he wanted to deepen bilateral partnership in areas of the future and that stronger ties between India and Russia “would greatly benefit our people.”

Modi was met at Vnukovo-II airport by Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. The Russian First Deputy Prime Minister also accompanied the Indian prime minister to his hotel from the airport in the same car, officials said.

Manturov also received Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Russia.

“We have landed in Moscow. We look forward to further deepening the special and privileged strategic partnership between our nations, especially in futuristic areas of cooperation,” Modi said on 'X'.

“Stronger ties between our nations will greatly benefit our people,” he said.

Modi will co-chair the 22nd annual India-Russia summit with President Putin and also interact with members of the Indian community.

“The Prime Minister is expected to hold in-depth discussions with President Vladimir Putin to advance the special partnership between the two countries. He will also interact with the Indian community in Russia,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 'X'.

The Indian prime minister was warmly welcomed at the airport by a guard of honour. He was greeted outside Moscow's Carlton Hotel by members of the Indian diaspora and a group of Russian artists who danced to Hindi songs.

In his farewell statement, Modi said India seeks to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region.

After concluding his engagements in Russia on July 9, Modi will leave for Austria, the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country in more than 40 years.

The Modi-Putin summit is expected to focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, energy and defense. The Ukraine conflict is also expected to be at the heart of the discussions.

“The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the last decade, particularly in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges,” Modi said in his farewell statement.

“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing my views on various regional and global issues,” he said.

“We seek to play a supporting role for a peaceful and stable region,” he said without making specific references.

New Delhi has vigorously defended its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and maintained the momentum of these ties despite the conflict in Ukraine.

India has yet to condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine and has consistently advocated for resolving the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Prime Minister said the visit would also provide him an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia.

“It is obvious that the agenda will be very full, if not overloaded. It will be an official visit, and we hope that the leaders will also be able to discuss informally,” he said.

During the negotiations, Modi is expected to urge the Russian side to end the recruitment of Indians as support personnel for the Russian military and ensure the return of those still operating in the force.

The annual summit between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism within the framework of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The annual summits are held alternately in India and Russia.

The last summit was held on December 6, 2021 in New Delhi. President Putin had traveled to India to attend the summit.

During the summit, the two sides signed 28 memoranda of understanding and agreements, besides issuing a joint statement titled 'India-Russia Partnership for Peace, Progress and Prosperity'.

Prime Minister Modi and President Putin held their final bilateral talks on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022.

At that meeting, Modi had pressured Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine, saying that “the current era is not one of war.”

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Modi has had several phone conversations with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

First published: July 08, 2024 | 7:49 p.m. EAST