MOSCOW: The main part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow is scheduled for today. The official Russian-Indian negotiati...
MOSCOW: The main part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow is scheduled for today.
The official Russian-Indian negotiations will be held both in a narrow and in an expanded format. The parties will discuss not only bilateral cooperation, but also the international situation.
There are no plans for media statements following the conversation, but Moscow and New Delhi intend to report on the progress of the negotiations in one way or another.
Communication between the heads of state began the day before. Upon arrival in Moscow, Modi traveled in an Aurus to the residence of the Russian President in Novo-Ogaryovo. There he and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked over a cup of tea and took a walk in the park. That was informal communication between the leaders: "with a free agenda, one on one," as noted in the Kremlin.
The two leaders managed to talk in private even without the usual presence of interpreters in such cases. At some point during the walk, the heads of state turned away from the main delegation and walked and talked for several minutes together, without strangers.
The Kremlin stressed that even an informal conversation between the leaders of Russia and India was very meaningful.
The Russian side called the dialogue agenda "intensive, if not overloaded." Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said that the Kremlin attaches "primary importance" to this visit, since this is Modi’s first trip after the elections. In June, parliamentary elections were held in the country, which Modi's party won.
Agenda of talks
The agenda for negotiations is expected to be extensive. As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted, Moscow and New Delhi have "mutual political will" to develop cooperation in various areas. Integration processes are advancing: the two countries are members of several common structures, including BRICS and the SCO.
Issues of regional and global security are "always high on the agenda of summit meetings," the Kremlin said.
For his part, Foreign Secretary of India Vinay Kwatra confirmed that issues of regional and global significance will become "an important element of the negotiations."
According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, bilateral economic issues, namely "trade imbalance," will also be on the agenda. As Kwatra explained, trade turnover between the two countries in 2023-2024 increased significantly and reached almost $65 billion thanks to close cooperation in the energy sector. However, India’s exports to Russia amount to $4 billion.
Kwatra also highlighted defense cooperation between the two states as "an important segment of the privileged strategic partnership." He stressed that the countries remain in full contact on this issue.
Other topics include the space sector and energy security. India has already put into operation the first and second power units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, which is being built with Russian assistance. The construction of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth power units is currently underway.
Regular communication
The previous time Modi visited Russia in 2019 to participate in the Eastern Economic Forum. In turn, Putin was in India on a visit in 2021. In total, the Russian leader visited India nine times during his tenure at the top post.
The leaders of the two countries maintain regular contacts, including by telephone. This year they called each other at least three times. In addition, heads of state meet at multilateral forums. Such a meeting, for example, took place in September 2022 in Samarkand on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
In accordance with the Declaration of Strategic Partnership of 2000, the leaders of Russia and India must meet annually. Today's negotiations continue this tradition. This meeting is the 22nd in a row.
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