India set to strengthen the ties with Russia by refusing to “be party” to any economic sanctions against its old ally. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week during Annual India-Russia Summit. Putin will be in India for 2 days from December 10.
Modi will hold bilateral talks with Putin on December 11 which will push for “special and privileged strategic partnership”.
Ajay Bisaria, joint secretary, Eurasia, in the ministry of external affairs, said that both countries “have identity or similarity in views on important global issues, including on the threats of terrorism, particularly in Russia and the neighbourhood and on the need to defuse the Cold War like tensions that are increasingly manifesting themselves in global relations”.
“India has said clearly that it cannot be party to any economic sanctions against Russia,” he said.
Photo: PTI
“President Putin’s visit is a landmark event and is expected to provide fresh impetus to the existing bilateral relations between the two countries. The dominant theme of this summit will be the spelling out by the two leaders a joint vision of our relationship for the next decade,” Ajay Bisaria said.
Both the countries will push for more bilateral trade which stands currently at $10 billion. India will also seek defence cooperation from Russia including Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. Indo-Russian nuclear co-operation is also likely to be signed during Putin’s visit.
India is presently exporting more food items to Russia following the Western sanctions.
Although this will be Putin’s first visit to India after Narendra Modi took charge, but the leaders have already met on the sidelines of the BRIC summit as well as in recently concluded G-20 summit.
Tags: india Narendra Modi Russia Vladimir Putin
