- PM Modi is on his second day of visit to Russia
- He visited the State Hermitage Museum, one of the oldest in the world
- Modi also met with Eurasian Economic Commission Chairman
- He is scheduled to attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum
- Modi is on the third-leg of his four nation visit and will visit France on Saturday
I'd Rather Choose the Future of India: Modi on Paris Accord
Commenting on Donald Trump pulling US out of the Paris Climate Agreement PM Modi said he’d rather not take sides on the matter but if he had to then he’d rather choose the future of India.
Modi also spoke on India’s relations with China.
Our relations with China over the last 40 years have been stable. Not one bullet has been fired over borders.
China wasn’t too happy with The Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal. Recently, India also rejected the Australian request to take part in joint naval exercises with the United States and Japan for the fear of antagonising China, which has warned against expanding the drills, navy officials and diplomats said.
Putin and Modi Address International Economic Forum
Addressing a plenary session of the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia should focus on digital literacy. He spoke at length about the need to develop technology in all sectors.
Small startups make new products; we should support them. We should start research centers in educational institutes. If we want to build the world we need to take firm stands and we invite people to come to Russia and work with us.
Modi, who spoke after Putin, spoke about the current state of law and reform in India. He said the is proud to announce that in the three years of his governance, India has gone through a digital revolution.
We can’t allow a digital divide; a digital divide can create a lot of problems in any society, so we have started a ‘Digital India’ campaign.
He said India is one of the fastest growing economies, undertaking reforms at a quick pace.
Diversity is our strength. We have different laws in different states but I can gladly say that we have implemented the GST. Political will, political stability, clear vision helps in reforming a country... All credit rating agencies across the world have unanimously said that India is a rapidly developing country.
Inviting people to work with ‘young India’, Modi said:
We have done well on global benchmarks of ease of doing business, (and) in competitiveness. India is amongst the top three investment destinations.
Speaking on the entertainment industry, he said India’s regional entertainment industry is as strong as Bollywood.
Bollywood is very popular in Russia, I doubt if there is anyone in Russia even from younger generation who does not know Raj Kapoor.
PM Modi Visits State Museum
Following his meeting with the Eurasian Economic Commission Chairman and the head priest of a Buddhist temple, the Indian Prime Minister visited the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
The museum is one of the oldest in the world, founded in 1754 with three million items on display, including the largest collection of paintings in the world.