Moscow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a guard of honour upon his arrival at the airport in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 8, 2024. (PTI photo)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday visited Russia for the first time since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine. He will hold high-level talks with President Vladimir Putin, focusing on strengthening bilateral ties in the areas of energy, trade and defence.
Shortly after landing in Moscow, Modi said he looked forward to deepening bilateral cooperation in future-oriented areas and that stronger ties between India and Russia would be “a great benefit for our people”.
Modi was received at Vnukovo-II airport by Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. The Russian First Deputy Prime Minister also accompanied the Indian PM in the same car from the airport to his hotel, officials said.
Manturov also received Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Russia.
“Landed in Moscow. I look forward to further deepening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between our countries, especially in futuristic areas of cooperation,” Modi said on ‘X’.
“Stronger ties between our countries will bring many benefits to our people,” he said.
It is Modi’s first trip to Russia since 2019, the first after the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, and the first in Modi’s third term as prime minister.
Russian President Putin will host a private dinner for Modi tonight, ahead of talks on Tuesday at the 22nd India-Russia summit in Moscow.
Modi will co-chair the 22nd annual India-Russia summit with President Putin and will also engage with members of the Indian community.
“The prime minister will hold substantive talks with President Vladimir Putin to take forward 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 given a guard of honour at the airport. He was warmly welcomed outside the Carlton Hotel in Moscow by members of the Indian diaspora and a group of Russian artists who danced to the tune of Hindi songs.
In his farewell statement, Modi said India wants to play a supporting role for a peaceful and stable region.
After completing his engagement in Russia on July 9, Modi will head to Austria, the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country in over 40 years.
The focus of the Modi-Putin summit is expected to be on further boosting bilateral cooperation in trade, energy and defence. The conflict in Ukraine will play a role in the talks.
“The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia has evolved over the last 10 years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, healthcare, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges,” Modi said in his departure statement.
“I look forward to discussing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues,” he said.
“We want to play a supporting role for a peaceful and stable region,” he said, without making specific references.
New Delhi has courageously defended its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and maintained momentum in relations despite the conflict in Ukraine.
India has yet to condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine and has consistently urged a resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
The prime minister said the visit also provides him with an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia.
In a message on ‘X’, Modi said before leaving for Moscow: “In the next three days, I will be in Russia and Austria. These visits will be a great opportunity to deepen ties with these countries, with which India has a time-tested friendship.”
Ahead of Modi’s visit to Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the agenda will be “extensive.”
“Of course, the agenda will be extensive, not to say overcrowded. It will be an official visit, and we hope that the leaders will also be able to talk in an informal way,” he said.
During the talks, Modi is expected to urge the Russian side to stop recruiting Indians as support staff for the Russian military and ensure that those still serving in the armed forces return.
The annual summit between the Prime Minister of India and the President of Russia is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in 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 visited India to attend the summit.
During the summit, both sides concluded 28 MoUs and agreements and presented a joint statement titled ‘India-Russia Partnership for Peace, Progress and Prosperity’.
Prime Minister Modi and President Putin last held bilateral talks on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022.
During the meeting, Modi urged Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine, saying that “the current era is not a war era.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Modi has had several telephone conversations with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: 08 Jul 2024 | 19:49 IST