PM Modi meets Russian President Putin, says India-Russia strategic partnership continues to grow
India and Russia have signed a number of agreements, contracts and protocols covering small arms and military cooperation, said Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi on Monday and asserted that the partnership between India and Russia continues to become stronger.
“Despite the challenges posed by Covid, there is no change in the pace of growth of India-Russia relations. Our special and privileged strategic partnership continues to become stronger," said Modi.
“In the last few decades, the world witnessed many fundamental changes and different kinds of geopolitical equations emerged but the friendship of India and Russia remained constant," he added.
Putin echoed the sentiments and said that Russia perceives India as a “friendly nation".
“We perceive India as a great power, a friendly nation, and a time-tested friend. The relations between our nations are growing and I am looking into the future," said the Russian president.
“Currently, mutual investments stand at about 38 billion with a bit more investment coming from the Russian side. We cooperate greatly in the military and technical sphere like no other country. We develop high technologies together as well as produce in India," he added.
This is the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since they met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in 2019 in Brasilia. There have been six telephonic conversations between them since then apart from the virtual meetings that they've attended for multilateral summits.
The visit is in continuation of the tradition of annual summits held alternately in India and Russia.
Earlier in the day, the two countries held their first 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
The two countries on Monday signed an agreement for the procurement of 6,01,427 assault rifles AK-203 through Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd, under the military-technical cooperation arrangement for 2021-31.
Putin had said on Wednesday that he intends to discuss with Prime Minister Narendra Modi new "large-scale" initiatives on further developing "specially privileged" Russian-Indian relations.
"This partnership brings real mutual benefit to both states. Bilateral trade shows good dynamics; ties are actively developing in the energy sector, innovation, space, and the production of coronavirus vaccines and medicines," Putin had said.
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