Modi: 1.4 Billion Indians Are “Eagerly Waiting” for Putin’s Visit

By Staff, Agencies

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the people of India, now the world’s most populous nation, are “eagerly awaiting” his visit to the country later this year.

He is set to travel to India for an annual bilateral summit with Modi in December.

During their talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization [SCO] summit in Tianjin, the two leaders stressed that the strategic partnership between their nations is expanding across various sectors.

“This year in December, for our 23rd summit, 1.4 billion Indians are eagerly waiting for you,” Modi told Putin.

Modi said Russia and India have walked “shoulder-to-shoulder” in the “most difficult of situations,” adding, “Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both countries but also for global peace, stability and prosperity”.

Calling Modi his “dear friend,” Putin said, “December 21 marks 15 years since the adoption of the joint statement which marked the transition of our relations to the level of a special, privileged, strategic partner”.

The Russian president added, “We can confidently state that the multifaceted Russian-Indian relations are actively developing, based on these principles”.

During their talks, Modi also brought up the Ukraine issue. “We welcome all the recent efforts for peace,” he said. “We hope that all parties will move forward constructively. A way has to be found to end the conflict as soon as possible and establish lasting peace. This is the call of the entire humanity”.

Before the delegation-level talks, Putin and Modi reportedly spent about an hour of one-on-one conversation in the Russian leader’s Aurus vehicle. “They communicated both in the car while driving and then continued their discussion inside the car,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS.

This is the first meeting between Putin and Modi this year, though they regularly speak by phone.

Putin’s upcoming visit to India is set to boost bilateral ties in a complex geopolitical landscape.

The South Asian nation has been slapped with 50% tariffs by the US – 25% for its continued purchases of Russian oil. US officials have accused India of “profiteering” from reselling refined crude, and bankrolling the Ukraine conflict.