'Memorable Welcome': PM Modi Lands In Moscow On Two-Day Visit, Set To Hold Talks With President Putin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday began a two-day high-profile visit to Russia to hold summit talks with President Vladimir Putin. He was received at the Moscow airport by Russian first deputy minister Denis Manturov (who also had received Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Russia earlier) and also received a Guard of Honour at the airport.

After landing in Moscow, PM Modi said that deeper ties between New Delhi and Moscow will benefit people of both nations. “Landed in Moscow. Looking forward to further deepening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between our nations, especially in futuristic areas of cooperation. Stronger ties between our nations will greatly benefit our people,” PM Modi said.

Manturov also accompanied PM Modi in the same car to his hotel from the airport where Russians singing bhajan, performing Indian dance forms and members of the Indian diaspora spanning across all age groups warmly greeted him. PM Modi will be residing at the Carlton Hotel in Moscow during his first trip to Russia since 2019.

He will hold summit-level meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin with a focus on boosting bilateral ties in areas of energy, trade and defence. It is also his first trip since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and his first in his third term as the prime minister.

Russian President Putin is set to host a private dinner for Modi tonight ahead of Tuesday’s talks at the 22nd India-Russia summit in Moscow.

“The PM is set to hold substantive discussions with President Vladimir Putin to take forward the special partnership between the two countries. He will also interact with the Indian community in Russia,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on ‘X’.

The external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a separate video post on social media X outlined the agenda of the discussions between both leaders shortly after PM Modi’s arrival in Moscow.

“The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the past 10 years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges,” Modi said in his departure statement.

“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,” he said.

“We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region,” he said without making any specific references.

New Delhi has been stoutly defending its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and maintained the momentum in the ties notwithstanding the Ukraine conflict.

India has not yet condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine and consistently pitched for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

After concluding his engagements in Russia on July 9, Modi will leave for Austria in the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to that country in over 40 years.

PM Modi ahead of the trip will also provide him an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia. On reaching the Carlton Hotel, he was greeted by members of the Indian diaspora.

PM Modi thanked them in a post on social media site X. “A memorable welcome in Moscow! I thank the Indian community for their affection,” PM Modi said in his post.

The annual summit between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The annual summits are held alternatively in India and Russia.

The last summit was held on December 6, 2021 in New Delhi. President Putin had visited India to attend the summit.

After concluding his engagements in Russia on July 9, PM Modi will leave for Austria in the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to that country in over 40 years.

(with inputs from PTI)