PM Modi Anticipates Hosting President Putin for 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit in December

Putin is anticipated to visit India in December for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed on Tuesday that he is eagerly anticipating hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin in India next month during a meeting with a senior Kremlin official.

During his meeting with Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to the Russian President and Chairman of the Maritime Board of the Russian Federation, Prime Minister Modi conveyed his "warm greetings" to President Putin in New Delhi.

Following the meeting, PM Modi shared on X: "Pleased to receive Mr Nikolai Patrushev, Aide to the President and Chairman of the Maritime Board of Russia. We had productive discussions on cooperation in the maritime domain, including new opportunities for collaboration in connectivity, skill development, shipbuilding and blue economy."

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) confirmed that PM Modi extended warm greetings to President Putin and expressed his anticipation of hosting him in India next month.

Patrushev and PM Modi also discussed ongoing preparations for the India-Russia Summit, scheduled for early December during Putin's highly anticipated visit to India.

The Russian Embassy in India released a statement on Telegram saying, "On November 18, in New Delhi, Aide to the President of Russia and Chairman of the Maritime Board of Russia Nikolai Patrushev was received by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. The parties discussed various issues of Russian-Indian cooperation, particularly in the maritime sector. The two sides emphasised their mutual interest in deepening interaction between Russia and India to strengthen their maritime capabilities. Preparations for the Russia-India Summit, scheduled for early December, were also touched upon."

President Putin is expected to visit India in December for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. His last visit to India was in December 2021 for the 21st edition of the meeting.

Earlier that day, Patrushev paid homage to the bravehearts of the Indian Armed Forces at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. He later toured the 'Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya', which is dedicated to India's history since independence in 1947, and signed the guest book.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, who was in Moscow for the SCO Heads of Government meeting, also met with President Putin, alongside other Heads of SCO delegations, on Tuesday afternoon.

On Monday, EAM Jaishankar met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow and discussed aspects of bilateral and international relations, focusing on preparations for the annual India-Russia Summit, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

According to a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry, "The foreign ministers reaffirmed Russia and India's commitment to building a just, multipolar world order and ensuring global security. They agreed to continue coordinating their approaches to cooperation between Russia and India in key multilateral formats- the UN, SCO, BRICS, and the G20."

Last month, PM Modi spoke with Putin over the phone to review progress in bilateral relations. During their conversation, PM Modi extended birthday greetings to Putin and reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthening strategic cooperation.

He also expressed his anticipation of welcoming the Russian leader to India in December for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

The two leaders previously met in September on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, where they discussed regional and global developments, including the situation in Ukraine, and reiterated support for deepening bilateral ties.

During that meeting, PM Modi mentioned that 1.40 crore Indians are "eagerly waiting" for the Russian President's arrival for the 23rd India-Russia Summit in December. "This is the definition of our deep, 'special and privileged strategic partnership'," PM Modi had stated.