Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reached an agreement to develop a plan for future initiatives that will enhance the already strong strategic partnership between their countries.
Prime Minister Modi expressed satisfaction with his discussion with President Putin, highlighting their fruitful exchange of perspectives on a range of regional and global matters, such as Russia's upcoming Presidency of the BRICS in 2024.
In a recent visit to Russia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the strengthening of military and technical cooperation between the two countries, with a particular focus on the manufacturing of modern weaponry.
In a later statement, the Ministry of External Affairs provided an update on the progress made between Modi and Putin. They discussed various areas of bilateral cooperation, building on the recent high-level exchanges between the two countries.
PM Modi extended his best wishes to Russia for its upcoming Presidency of BRICS in 2024 and assured India's complete support. The Ministry of External Affairs statement mentioned that the two leaders agreed to maintain regular communication. As of January 1, 2024, Russia has taken over the BRICS presidency.
During his recent trip to Russia, S Jaishankar had a productive meeting with Sergey Lavrov, his Russian counterpart. S Jaishankar and Lavrov had a discussion on various global matters, including the Indo-Pacific, the Ukraine conflict, the Gaza situation, Afghanistan and Central Asia, BRICS, SCO, G20, and the UN.
During a joint press conference in Moscow, Lavrov discussed with S Jaishankar the potential for military and technical collaboration, which includes the production of advanced weaponry, as per The Shillong Times.
They also expressed well wishes for the upcoming parliamentary elections in India and the presidential poll in Russia, according to the statement.
India has continued to uphold its long-standing diplomatic relations with Russia amidst the conflict in Ukraine. Despite its close ties with Western nations, such as the US, India has occasionally expressed concerns over Moscow's military actions.
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India-Russia Ties
It is worth mentioning that during Putin's visit to India in December 2010, the Strategic Partnership was raised to a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership." They also discussed regional and global issues that both parties found interesting.
As Russia takes on the 2024 BRICS chairmanship, Putin has highlighted their commitment to promoting equitable global development and security through multilateral cooperation. They aim to foster positive and constructive relationships with all relevant countries.
"Russia has assumed the BRICS chairmanship on January 1, following the decision made at the 15th BRICS Summit in August 2022. This association now includes 10 countries," stated Russian President Putin on January 2.
In addition, with Russia taking on the role of chairmanship, it eagerly anticipates fostering productive collaborations with all nations within the BRICS orbit.
Russia has been a reliable and trusted ally for India. India-Russia relations have been a significant focus of India's foreign policy, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs, as per Big News Network.
Ever since the "Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership" was signed in October 2000 during Russian President Putin's visit to India, the relationship between the two countries has taken on a new dimension. Cooperation has been strengthened across various sectors, such as politics, security, trade and economy, defense, science and technology, and culture.
