MOSCOW: Prime Minister meets with the President of the Russian Federation

MOSCOW: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met with the President of the Russian Federation, H.E. Vladimir Putin, in Kazan today, on the margins of the 16th BRICS Summit. This was their second meeting this year. The two leaders had earlier met in Moscow for the 22nd Annual Summit in July 2024.

Prime Minister thanked President Putin for his invitation to attend the 16th BRICS Summit. He appreciated the Russian Chairship of BRICS and its efforts to strengthen multilateralism, advance sustainable development, and push for global governance reform. The two leaders also reviewed bilateral cooperation in a range of fields, including political, economic, defence, energy, and people-to-people ties. They welcomed the forthcoming meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic and Cultural matters, which is scheduled to be held in November 2024 in New Delhi.

The leaders exchanged views on India-Russia engagement in multilateral fora, in particular in BRICS. They also shared views on key regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Prime Minister reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy was the way forward in resolving conflicts.

The two leaders agreed to remain engaged to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries, which continues to register significant growth and has shown resilience in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties.

Prime Minister invited President Putin to visit India next year for the 23rd Annual Summit.