Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed that President Vladimir Putin will visit India soon, and all arrangements are currently being made for his trip to the South Asian nation.
“[Russian] President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to visit from the Indian head of government. A visit by the Russian head of state to the Republic of India is currently being prepared,” the Russian foreign minister was quoted as saying by TASS.
He mentioned that Modi had first visited Russia as his first foreign trip since being re-elected for the third term last year.
“Now it’s our turn,” he said.
However, he did not mention the time when the Russian President will visit India.
Lavrov made the announcement during a conference titled “Russia and India: Toward a New Bilateral Agenda”.
It was organised by the Russian International Affairs Council or RIAC.
If Putin visits India, then it will be his first trip to the country since the war against Ukraine broke out in 2022.
India–Russia relationship
The bilateral relationship has remained strong and stable over more than 75 years, read the Indian Embassy in Russia website.
The India-Russia partnership has been among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world in contemporary era with a shared commitment to a multipolar world and continues to expand beyond the traditional areas of military, nuclear and space cooperation.
Bilateral Trade
In the past two years, the bilateral trade has expanded significantly, far exceeding the target of USD 30bn set earlier for 2025.
There are discussions on ways to increase exports from India as well by developing new models of cooperation.
Several connectivity initiatives are also increasingly central to the bilateral cooperation, especially the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor.
Moreover, both countries remain committed to strengthen cooperation in the development of the Russian Far East region and working together in research, logistics and training in the Arctic region.
There is a synergy between Russia’s pivot to the East, its resource and technology and India’s own flagship initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
