Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Monday, 6 December, following his arrival in Delhi, said:
"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."
According to ANI, Putin's remarks came during his meeting with PM Modi, in which he also talked about India-Russia cooperation and mutual investments.
PM Modi, on his part, referred to the 2+2 dialogue concluded between India and Russia’s defence and foreign ministers, earlier on Monday, and said:
“It starts a new mechanism to improve our behavioural cooperation. We've been in constant touch on Afghanistan and other regional issues.”
“We (India and Russia) are adopting a long-term vision to strengthen our partnership in economic affairs. By 2025, we've set a target of trade worth $30 billion and investment worth $50 billion.”PM Modi
The Russian president landed in India on Monday evening and was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House in Delhi.
Prime Minister Modi had tweeted, "Welcome to India my friend President Putin. Our meeting today will strengthen our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. The initiatives that we take today will further increase the scope of our cooperation to new areas."
WHAT ELSE DID PUTIN SAY?
Russian President Putin, during his meet with PM Modi, was quoted by ANI as saying:
"Currently, mutual investments stand at about 38 billion with a bit more investment coming from the Russian side. We cooperate greatly in military and technical sphere like no other country. We develop high technologies together as well as produce in India."
"Naturally, we are concerned about everything that has to do with terrorism," Putin said.
"Fight against terrorism is also fight against drug trafficking and organised crime. With that regard, we are concerned about the developments of the situation in Afghanistan," he added.
MORE DETAILS
The Russian President is slated to participate in the 21st annual India-Russia summit with his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ANI reported.
This is the first time Prime Minister Modi and President Putin met in person since their last meeting in 2019 during the BRICS summit in Brasilia, Brazil.
PM Modi will also host a dinner for Putin at the Hyderabad House.
Bilateral relations and strategic ties between the two nations will be discussed. China is also expected to be a major topic of discussion.
India and Russia will also renew a framework for military-technical cooperation for the next 10 years, and are also expected to announce a joint commission on technology and science, The Indian Express reported.
They will also finalise numerous defence procurement proposals, and discuss the joint production of twin-engine Kamov-226T light helicopters for the Indian Army.
Modi and Putin are also slated to discuss the security situation regarding the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, which both leaders have called a 'shared concern' due to the threat of terrorism emerging from the region.
After the Taliban ousted the United States-backed Ashraf Ghani government, Putin and Modi started discussions concerning the Taliban, and Russian National Security Advisor Nikolai Patrushev was also sent to New Delhi to continue the discussions.
India's 2+2 Meet With Russia
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Monday attended a 2+2 meeting with Russian officials.
"Just completed the first ever 2+2 meeting with Russia. A productive exchange of perspectives on cross-cutting and inter-related issues. Will be reporting it to the Annual Summit later today," he said in a tweet.
"Enhancing bilateral trade and investment figured prominently in the talks. This year, we've noticed an encouraging trend of growth in our trades compared to last year. Both sides are looking forward to continued increase in trade and investment trajectory," Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla was quoted as saying by ANI.
"With regard to Ukrainian military developments, in the 2+2 meet, I think Russian side did provide a briefing on that situation. I don't think there was anything beyond that. S-400 supplies have begun this month and will continue to happen," Shringla added.
A total of 28 MoUs (memorandum of understanding) were signed between the two countries.
(With inputs from ANI, Indian Express, and NDTV.)
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