Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced that Moscow and New Delhi are further deepening their all-embracing bilateral partnership, which remains "absolutely non-partisan in nature" and is supported by the citizens of both countries.
"Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades – friendly, trusting. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future, and these relations are absolutely non-partisan in nature, supported by the overwhelming majority of the peoples of our countries," Putin said while hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin, China.
At the talks, the two leaders discussed multiple facets of mutual cooperation, especially economic, financial, and energy spheres, with both leaders showing satisfaction regarding the consistent development in these spheres.
"It is symbolic that it (meeting) is taking place on the sidelines of the SCO summit, an organisation that allows for the unification of the efforts of the heads of state of the Global South and East, efforts to create an architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia," said the Russian President.
"Dear Mr. Prime Minister, dear friend! December 21 marks 15 years since the adoption of the Joint Statement, which noted the emergence of our relations at the level of a special privileged strategic partnership. It can be confidently stated that multifaceted Russian-Indian relations are actively developing on these principles," he added.
Putin also pointed out the strong multi-level interaction between the two nations, underlining the good dynamics in trade and economic cooperation.
"Tourist exchange is developing. We closely coordinate our efforts in the international arena: the UN, BRICS, the Group of Twenty and, of course, the SCO. And today [we have] a good opportunity to discuss the main tasks of further development of multifaceted bilateral cooperation in various areas," he stated.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said leaders also discussed regional and international issues, including the current situation in Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi expressed his continued commitment to recent efforts to address the conflict in Ukraine and re-emphasized the need for speeding up the process for a permanent peace.
The summit ended with both leaders reaffirming their determination to further consolidate the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Prime Minister Modi also invited President Putin, wishing him in advance for his visit to India for the 23rd Annual Summit later in the year.
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