India, Russia friendship has remained constant in midst of all variables: Modi

Putin describes India as a great power, friendly nation and a time-tested friend

07/12/2021

New Delhi, Dec 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that India-Russia strategic ties have grown stronger despite the challenges posed by Covid, and thanked visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin for his personal investment in strengthening the bilateral partnership. In his opening remarks ahead of the 21st annual bilateral summit with President Putin, PM Modi also thanked the Russian leader for taking time out from his busy schedule to visit India for their face-to-face summit, which is their first such meeting in two years.
"I know that in the past two years due to Covid this is your second trip abroad; and your visit today signifies your attachment to India, and your own personal involvement in taking forward the ties. Your visit also signifies the importance you attach to India-Russia ties," said PM Modi.
"Despite the challenges posed by Covid there has been no change in the pace of growth in India-Russia relations. Our special and privileged strategic partnership has continued to grow stronger," he added.
PM Modi said the two countries have been seeing very good cooperation in the fight against Covid, whether in vaccine trials and production, or in humanitarian assistance or in helping their stranded nationals return home. He said 2021 is a very significant year for their bilateral relations, as it marks 50 years of the 1971 Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship & Cooperation and also 20 years of the strategic partnership.
"In this significant year, being able to personally meet you for the bilateral summit is a matter of great joy to me," PM Modi said, adding that President Putin has been the main driver behind the growth in the bilateral strategic partnership in the past 20 years.
"Many kinds of geopolitical changes have taken place, but in the midst of all the variables India-Russia friendship has remained a constant. Both nations have engaged with each other without hindrance, and have also kept each other's sensitivities especially in mind. This is truly a unique and trusted model of inter-state friendship."
Remarking on the inaugural 2+2 dialogue held between their defence and foreign ministers, PM Modi said with the move the two sides have begun a new mechanism to take forward the ties.
"We have been regularly in touch on Afghanistan and other regional developments. The regional partnership emerging from the Eastern Economic Forum and the Vladivostok summit has led to practical cooperation between our two nations in the Russian Far East. In order to strengthen our economic ties, we are going to adopt a long term vision," he added.
He said the two sides have targeted USD 30 billion trade and USD 50 billion investment till 2025. "We need to guide our business communities in order to reach the target," he added. He said that the different agreements signed will help to support the Make in India initiative, and the defence partnership is becoming stronger with co-development & co-production. "In space and civil nuclear spheres too our cooperation is growing."
He congratulated Russia on getting observer status in NAM and becoming dialogue partner in the IORA, adding, "in both the platforms it was our pleasure to back Russia's candidature."
"We both share similar views on many international and regional issues. We will get an opportunity to discuss these at the summit," he added.
Russia President Vladimir Putin on Monday described India as a great power, a friendly nation and a time-tested friend and echoed common concerns over terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime as he held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Putin also expressed concern over the developments in Afghanistan and said India and Russia will continue to coordinate on major challenges facing the region.
"We perceive India as a great power, a friendly nation and a time-tested friend. The relations between our countries are growing and I am looking into the future," Putin said in his initial comments.
Modi said Putin's second visit abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic reflected his personal commitment to the India-Russia ties and that the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two sides was getting stronger. Putin said both sides continue to cooperate on global issues and the positions of the two sides on many issues have similarities.
"Naturally, we are concerned about everything that has to do with terrorism. I mean the fight against terrorism and the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime. And with that regard, we are concerned about the developments in Afghanistan," Putin said.
The Russian leader also referred to growing cooperation between India and Russia in areas of environment, trade and investment and high technology among others.
"Right now, the mutual investments stand at about 38 billion. More investments are coming from the Russian side," Putin said.
The Russian leader said he was "so very happy to be able to visit the friendly country of India."
In the last few decades, the world witnessed many fundamental changes and different kinds of geopolitical equations and variables, but the friendship of India and Russia remained constant, Modi said.
"Your visit to India is a reflection of your commitment to ties with India," the prime minister said.
The summit talks took place hours after the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries held their inaugural '2+2' dialogue with an aim to widen the ambit of discussions on strategically important issues.
Putin flew into India on a short visit for the summit. The day began with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu under the framework of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation.
Separately, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Then the foreign and defence ministers of the two sides held the '2+2' dialogue. Lavrov and Shoygu arrived here late Sunday night.
At the end of the talks between the defence ministers, both sides inked an agreement for joint production of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles at a manufacturing facility in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi, besides firming up another pact on military cooperation for 10 years.
The rifles will be manufactured for the Indian armed forces at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore.
The agreements were signed at the 20th meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC).

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