Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday visited the Zvezda shipbuilding facility which is being expanded and has scope for foreign investment.

The Prime Minister, who is on a two-day visit to Russia, interacted with the management and workers of the shipyard.

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“PM @narendramodi and President Putin visited the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex. Newer areas of collaboration such as shipbuilding offer opportunities for diversifying the strong India- Russia economic ties,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

In the future, the ships built at that shipyard “will be used to deliver Russian oil and liquefied natural gas to world markets, including India,” President Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying by Tass news agency.

PM Modi and Russian President Putin hugged and shook hands prior to their departure for Zvezda shipbuilding facility.

A personal chemistry underlining a strong partnership

President Putin welcomes PM @narendramodi in #Vladivostok for their 30th meeting. India-Russia relationship goes beyond relations between two capitals and are now at the cusp of expanding to new frontiers. pic.twitter.com/OZ2Dmyk2MV

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 4, 2019

In a special gesture, Putin accompanied Modi on board a ship on their way to the shipbuilding facility. Both the leaders discussed ways to deepen cooperation in shipbuilding.

“Strong winds propelling the India-Russia relationship! PM @narendramodi and Russian President Putin spending quality time together on board a ship on their way to ‘Zvezda’ Shipbuilding Complex,” Kumar tweeted.

Strong winds propelling the India-Russia relationship!

PM @narendramodi and Russian President Putin spending quality time together on board a ship on their way to ‘Zvezda’ Shipbuilding Complex. #DruzbaDosti pic.twitter.com/12hZn9DtWj

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 4, 2019

PM Modi also expressed his gratitude towards Putin for accompanying him to the facility.

Deeply touched by President Putin’s gracious gesture to accompany me to Zvezda shipyard, which is poised to make a huge contribution to development of Arctic shipping. pic.twitter.com/vyUENhl0QL

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 4, 2019

On his visit to the Zvezda shipbuilding complex, Modi had said in his pre-departure tweets that “it would present a great opportunity to learn about Russia’s exemplary capabilities in the shipbuilding sector as well as explore possibilities of cooperation in this area.”

The facility, located in Russia’s Far East, was used to decommission the nuclear submarines of erstwhile Soviet Union after the end of the Cold War and is now in the process of building scores of ships.

His visit to the Russian Far East Region is the first by an Indian prime minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the chief guest at the fifth Eastern Economic Forum, will address the event on Thursday.

The EEF is held annually with the objective of facilitating accelerated development of the Russian Far East’s economy and expanding international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

During the EEF, a “Russia-India” dialogue is planned as part of the Forum’s business programme, to be attended by representatives from both countries. In addition, India will have a national stand at the EEF venue to present the country’s economic, industrial, tourism and cultural potential.

He will also hold the 20th India-Russia Annual Summit with Putin.

Some agreements are expected to be signed between the two countries after the talks between PM Modi and President Putin which are likely to focus on giving a fresh impetus to the Strategic relationship.

The discussions are likely to focus on giving a boost to bilateral trade and investment and cooperation in the fields of defence, energy, infrastructure and various other sectors.

Tension between India and Pakistan over the abrogation of Article 370 is also likely to figure in the bilateral talks.

Russia has maintained that abrogation of Article 370 is the “sovereign decision” of the Indian government adding that it was an “internal matter” of India.

All issues existing between India and Pakistan should be resolved through dialogue on the basis of the 1972 Simla Agreement and the Lahore declaration, Russian Envoy to India, Nikolay Kudashev had said last week.

Further on, Deputy Chief of the Russian Embassy in India, Roman Babushkin had said that Russia has no role to play in India-Pakistan dispute, unless both the countries ask for mediation.

Before departing for Russia, PM Modi said he looked forward to discussing regional and international issues of mutual interest with President Putin.

Modi also said his visit underlines the desire of the two countries to diversify and further strengthen bilateral relations.

The forum focuses on the development of business and investment opportunities in the Russian Far East Region, and presents enormous potential for developing close and mutually beneficial cooperation between India and Russia in the region, he said.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a guard of honour, on his arrival in Vladivostok.

Modi and Putin last met in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek in June on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and agreed on the need to explore new areas of cooperation.