Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday he had an ‘excellent’ meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and they reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further boost the strategic relationship.
The meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here is their first interaction after Modi’s re-election following the stunning victory of the BJP in the general elections last month.
“PM @narendramodi and President Putin had a wonderful meeting in Bishkek. Various subjects pertaining to India-Russia relations were discussed during the meeting,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.
“We had wide-ranging discussions on ways to further boost the India-Russia strategic relationship. We look forward to increased trade and people-to-people linkages with Russia,” Modi stated.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that it was a ‘brief but very very rich’ meeting in terms of content. He stated that defence and energy were key focus during their talks. The two leaders also reviewed trade and investment ties and noted that they’re on an upward trajectory.
Modi also thanked Putin for his support for the AK-203 Kalashnikov rifles manufacturing unit in Amethi, an India-Russia joint venture. The unit was inaugurated by Modi in March. Russia incidentally has been one of India’s key suppliers of arms and ammunition.
Gokhale said there will be a Russia, India and China trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan later this month. “President Putin invited Prime Minister Modi formally to be the main guest at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEC) in Vladivostok, Russia in early September, and he warmly accepted the invitation,” Gokhale said.
On his part, Putin said that in the course of the past years, the two sides have done a great deal to promote their inter-state relations. “They have developed steadily, including through your personal efforts and your attention to the development of Russian-Indian relations,” Putin was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Kremlin.
PTI