PM Modi, President Putin discuss strengthening India-Russia strategic partnership ahead of December Summit
Moscow, October 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged in a telephonic conversation on Tuesday to discuss enhancing the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia, alongside preparations for Putin’s visit to India in December, reports 24brussels.
During the call, PM Modi extended his best wishes to President Putin on the occasion of his 73rd birthday. The Russian President’s Office confirmed that both leaders expressed their commitment to fostering the bilateral relationship and briefly touched on the upcoming visit.
A statement from the Russian President’s Office noted, “In a phone call, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi offered his best wishes to Vladimir Putin for his birthday. Both sides expressed interest in developing the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia and briefly discussed preparations for the President of Russia’s upcoming visit to India, to be made in December this year.”
PM Modi emphasized his anticipation of welcoming President Putin for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit in December, highlighting ongoing discussions on various bilateral agendas. Earlier, on September 27, Putin reiterated the enduring relations between the two nations during a prior call, stating that these ties are “based on a national consensus.”
Putin praised India’s governance and economic growth under Modi’s leadership, noting, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India was pursuing a completely independent, sovereign policy and, most importantly, was achieving very good results in the economic sphere.” He remarked on India’s significant economic growth rates compared to other major economies.
The recent call followed Putin’s congratulatory telegram to Modi, marking the latter’s 75th birthday, where the Russian President acknowledged Modi’s contributions to fortifying bilateral relations, according to reports from TV BRICS.
