Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit India, his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
”It is symbolic that Prime Minister Modi made his first bilateral foreign visit after his re-election last year to Russia. Now it is our turn. Russian President Putin accepted the invitation of the head of the Indian government. The visit of the head of the Russian state to the Republic of India is being prepared,” he said, addressing the “Russia and India: Toward a New Bilateral Agenda” conference in Moscow via video conferencing.
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He also expressed gratitude to PM Modi for consistently taking a ”balanced position on the Ukrainian crisis and advocating its resolution through dialogue and the elimination of the root causes of this conflict”.
Addressing the conference, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India’s commitment to nurturing its ”deep-rooted” friendship with Russia.
Mr Jaishankar said India is looking forward to exploring new frontiers for cooperation with Russia.
”India and Russia have set an ambitious target of increasing bilateral trade to USD 100 billion by 2030. Investments by the two sides in each other’s economy continue to grow,” he said.
The Indian minister noted that energy, defence and civil nuclear cooperation have traditionally dominated the economic engagement between the two countries. Trade, technology, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and digital economy are emerging as new areas of bilateral cooperation, he said.
Mr Jaishankar said that through every shift in realignment, the two countries have demonstrated an exceptional ability to adapt and find new opportunities for mutual benefit and to contribute to regional and global stability and prosperity. The relationship between the two nations continues to expand and deepen in the backdrop of a dynamic world order, he added.
