On October 15, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Taj Mahal Exotic Hotel in Goa, India.
Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet President Vladimir Putin on Monday in his first visit to the Kremlin since the invasion of Ukraine.
Modi arrived in Moscow on Monday afternoon for a two-day state visit. The prime minister said he looked forward to “the further deepening of the special and privileged strategic partnership” between Russia and India, according to Google Translate postal on social media platform X.
Their meeting is significant as it is the Indian prime minister’s first bilateral trip since taking office. Rarely re-elected for third time in June.
The two leaders will strengthen the development of “traditional friendly relations between Russia and India” and discuss “hot topics on the international and regional agenda” Kremlin says last week.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said the meeting would provide an opportunity for both sides to review a range of bilateral issues – from defense and trade to investment ties and energy cooperation. at a media briefing on Friday.
Already on the agenda
Quatra said Russia and India will also assess the status of bilateral exchanges in organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Group of 20, the BRICS, the United Nations and the East Asia Summit.
“The issue of early retirement of Indian nationals who were misled into serving in the Russian army is also expected to come up in discussions,” Kwatra added.
Since March, India Seeking the release of nationals allegedly “cheated” into serving in the Russian militaryThis follows the revelation of what it calls a “major human trafficking network” in the South Asian country.
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Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered a series of sanctions from the G7 and other countries, as world leaders sought to cut off or limit Moscow’s ability to finance the war. The Kremlin insists on calling the invasion a “special military operation”.
India has not directly criticized Putin, but Remain neutral on Russia’s invasion of Ukrainewhile urging both sides to end the war. New Delhi, however, condemned the killing of civilians in the early days of the conflict in Ukraine but stopped short of blaming Russia.
Before Modi visits the Kremlin, Meet with G7 leaders Last month in Italy, a group of industrialized countries including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom agreed Financing Ukraine’s war against Russia and profits from assets frozen by the Kremlin.
Historical links between India and Russia
Both India and Russia have Have a long-term security partnership New Delhi’s armed forces have relied heavily on Moscow’s military equipment since the Cold War.
Modi last visited Russia in 2019, when he visited the Far East port of Vladivostok to attend an economic forum. The last time the two met was in 2022 Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in UzbekistanModi told the Russian president that this was not a time for war but stopped short of condemning his actions in Ukraine.
Like the United States, Russia also has a role in India’s foreign policy, Kanwal Sibal, the former foreign secretary of India, recently posted on the social media platform X.
The former ambassador to Russia added: “Neither India nor the global South consider Putin an international pariah.”
In the fiscal year ending March 2024, bilateral trade between India and Russia grew by 33%. A record high of US$65.7 billion. However, Quatra noted that trade remains unbalanced.
Official data showed India’s exports to Russia were worth $4.26 billion, while imports from the Kremlin were close to $61.44 billion.
Modi’s relationship with China
Although Modi is seeking to deepen ties with Russia, he decided last week to skip the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting, where Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged Strengthen economic cooperation among members. Putin attended the forum in Kazakhstan, but Modi sent Foreign Minister S Jaishankar instead.
Harsh V. Pant, vice president of the Observer Research Foundation, a think tank, said he did not expect a bilateral meeting between India and China anytime soon because relations between the two countries “have certainly not evolved from what happened in 2020 Recover from it.”
He was referring to the India-China border conflict in the western Himalayas in June of that year, which resulted in skirmishes and casualties on both sides: 20 indian and Four Chinese soldiers.
Both India and China are involved Territorial disputes last for decades.
China refers to The territory is southern Tibetclaim Arunachal Pradesh is part of southern Tibet. India denies these claims, Arunachal Pradesh has always been a part of India.
“I don’t think India is in any mood to engage with China, at least at the highest level,” Pant added. “I think the message from the Indian side to China is that the border issue has to be resolved.”
After a two-day visit to Russia, Modi will travel to Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday, which will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 41 years.
