(MENAFN- Live Mint) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow on Monday for a two-day official visit to Russia. He will hold the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit with President Putin in Moscow.
It is PM Modi's first trip to Russia in nearly five years. His last visit was in 2019, when he attended an economic conclave in the Far East city of Vladivostok.
The Indian prime minister was received by 1st Deputy Prime Minister (1st DPM) of Russia, Denis Manturov. Notably, Manturov is senior to the Deputy Prime Minister who received the Chinese President during his visit to Russia. In a rare gesture, Manturov will accompany PM Modi to the Calton Hotel in Moscow from the airport in the same car.
India's Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, was present at the airport to welcome PM Modi.
After arriving at Moscow airport, PM Modi received the Guard of Honour.
PM Modi will hold summit talks with President Vladimir Putin to review all aspects of bilateral ties and explore opportunities to boost further cooperation in sectors like trade, energy and defence.
Taking to microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), PM Modi in his departure statement said, "Over the next three days, I will be in Russia and Austria. These visits will be a wonderful opportunity to deepen ties with these nations, with whom India has time-tested friendship. I also look forward to interacting with the Indian community living in these countries."
“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues. We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region. The visit will also provide me an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia,” PM Modi said
“The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the past ten years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges,” the prime minister added.
PM Modi is set to have dinner with the Russian President on Monday, followed by talks. Both leaders met in person in September 2022 in Uzbekistan at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization bloc.
It is important to note that both countries have had strong ties since the Cold War. india's importance as a key trading partner for Moscow has grown since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. India has become a key buyer of Russian oil following sanctions imposed by the US and its allies that shut most Western markets off to Russian exports.
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