Hailing Russia as “our country’s greatest friend,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that India was committed to deepening ties between the two countries and to exploring new areas of cooperation.
Mr. Modi met the Russian President on the sidelines of the 6 th BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, on late Tuesday night and invited him to visit the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.
“If you ask anyone among the more than one billion people living in India who is our country’s greatest friend, every person, every child knows that it is Russia,” Mr. Modi said.
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The two heads of nations discussed all major bilateral issues concerning strategic affairs, global political matters, defence cooperation and economic ties during the 40-minute meeting, during which Mr. Modi was reportedly briefed about Russia’s position on the crisis in Ukraine.
According to website Russia and India Report, discussions explored possibilities of supplying Russian gas to India through pipelines via China or Pakistan. RIR also cited sources saying Mr. Putin had “offered comprehensive measures” to raise bilateral trade to $20 billion.
Mr. Modi said he looked forward to Mr. Putin’s visit to India in December, for the13th annual Indo-Russian summit in New Delhi, and urged the Russian President to visit the Kudankulam nuclear power plant.
“You could visit the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, our joint project… your visit there would be an excellent symbol of our cooperation,” he said.
The two leaders were earlier expected to meet on Monday following the interaction between Mr. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
However, the meeting was rescheduled for Tuesday owing to Mr. Putin’s meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia.
Congratulating Mr. Modi on being elected the Prime Minister of India, the Russian President said he was pleased that India and Russia were “in full consensus” on working together on the international stage and on matters of economic and defence cooperation.
“We know that you are a great friend of our country… I hope… we will be able to work together with your government to continue building our relations,” he said.
Mr. Modi cited INS Vikramaditya as an “excellent example of the cooperation between our nations” saying it added to Indian naval strength.
He also praised the Russian President for his clear views at the BRICS summit.
“Whether on Brazil, India or Africa, you have very good, precise and substantial views (and) a very clear and frank position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council,” he said.