On Friday, there will be a ceremonial reception for Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with a Tri-Service Guard of Honour and a floral tribute at Rajghat.
The Russian Foreign Ministry released photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting President Vladimir Putin at Delhi Airport, emphasizing the cordial welcome.
The Kremlin informed Sputnik that PM Modi’s choice to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the aircraft ramp was unanticipated, and the Russian side had not received prior notice.
In a post on X, the MFA announced, “President Vladimir Putin has reached India for a two-day official visit. The Russian leader was warmly greeted personally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov informed RT that Russia and India maintain connections in several critical sectors. “We exchange technologies.” This is an entirely singular occurrence. This is a strategic partnership of privilege. “India is certainly our important ally,” he stated, as reported by RT.
In New Delhi, today, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his first visit to India since 2021. The visit is especially significant because it coincides with both the 25-year anniversary of India-Russia relations as strategic partners and the 23rd Annual Summit between India and Russia.
After he arrives on Thursday, Putin is expected to attend a private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Modi at the Prime Minister’s residence. On Friday, there will be a ceremonial reception for Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with a Tri-Service Guard of Honour and a floral tribute at Rajghat.
Subsequently, Putin will formally meet with Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House and following the meeting, there is expected to be an announcement of new initiatives, as well as signing of agreements, and a press briefing announcing the results of their meeting.
Political Meeting between PM Modi and President Vladimir Putin
Discussions between Putin and PM Modi will be “regular and confidential,” adds Russian president’s aide, Yuri Ushakov. Their last meeting was on September 1 in Tianjin, China, during the SCO Summit, and the two leaders have spoken on the phone five times this year.
In preparation for his visit, Putin met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and two rounds of talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Moscow.
Economic Priority highlighting Trade Gap and Vision 2030
According to Ushakov, the purpose of this meeting is to discuss the increasing economic and trade relations between Russia and India, with a target of increasing the amount of bilateral trade in 2023 to USD 63.6 billion by 12%. Russia has proposed actions to resolve the area of concern for India related to the trade deficit and has also recommended a framework to protect trade with India from outside geopolitical factors.
One expectation from the summit is the approval of a Strategic Areas Development Program for Russian Indian Economic Cooperation through 2030, along with signed agreements between all sectors: Energy, Agriculture, Healthcare, Media, and Trade.
In August, during the Intergovernmental Commission meeting in Moscow, Government level officials reviewed existing key projects in Industrial Cooperation, New Advanced Technologies, Mining, Transportation, Space, Health and Human Resources Mobility.
