Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Moscow on Monday for an “official visit,” during which he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the Kremlin describing the relations between the two nations as “traditionally friendly”.
PM Modi’s visit comes at the invitation of Putin for the 22nd India-Russia summit, scheduled for July 8 and 9.
This visit marks PM Modi’s first trip to Russia in nearly five years and notably his first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His last visit was in 2019 when he attended an economic conclave in Vladivostok, a city in Russia’s Far East.
The Kremlin’s announcement of the visit highlights the nature of the “traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations,” which the two leaders plan to further develop. Other topics of the conversation, including “current issues of the international and regional agenda,” Russian news agency TASS reported.
In an interview on Sunday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the agenda for PM Modi’s visit will be extensive, with opportunities for both formal discussions and informal talks between the leaders.
“Obviously, the agenda will be extensive, if not to say overbusy. It will be an official visit, and we hope that the heads will be able to talk in an informal way as well,” Peskov stated.
‘West Closely Monitoring Modi’s Visit’
Highlighting the strategic nature of Russian-Indian relations, Peskov emphasised the importance of the upcoming visit, describing it as “very important and full-fledged.”
“We are expecting a very important and full-fledged visit, which is so crucial for Russian-Indian relations,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Peskov also stated that the West is ‘jealous and closely monitoring’ PM Modi’s upcoming visit to Russia.
“They are jealous — that means they are closely monitoring it. Their close monitoring means they attach great importance to it. And they are not mistaken, there is something to attach great importance to,” Peskov stated.
‘Great Opportunity For Modi & Putin To Talk Directly’
Commenting on PM Modi’s visit, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday stated that India’s economic relationship with Russia has “grown tremendously” at the leadership level. He also emphasised that it presents a “great opportunity” for PM Modi and Russian President Putin to engage in direct dialogue.
“It is a way of taking stock of any relationship…one of the biggest changes has been, that our economic relationship with Russia has grown tremendously…at the leadership level, it will be a great opportunity for PM Modi and (Russian) President Putin to sit down and directly talk to each other,” Jaishankar told news agency ANI.
#WATCH | On PM Modi’s visit to Russia, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar says, ” …There was a bit of a delay in our annual summits, it is a good tradition, we are 2 countries which have a strong history of working together. We did value the need for an annual summit.… pic.twitter.com/kyImZnmm2h— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024
The annual summit between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President serves as the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two nations, with 21 previous summits having alternated between India and Russia.
The last summit took place on December 6, 2021, in New Delhi, during Russian President Putin’s visit to India.
(With inputs from agencies)
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