Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a tour of two countries – Russia and Austria. He will first meet and hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before travelling to Austria for bilateral talks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday left on a two-day visit to Russia where he will meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and hold talks with him on a range of issues. This will be Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Russia in nearly five years and he will leave for Austria on July 9-10 after wrapping up his visits to Moscow.
It will be the first time the Prime Minister will visit Austria and will also be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 41 years, after Indira Gandhi in 1983.
Before his departure, PM Modi said his upcoming visits to Russia and Austria will provide India an opportunity to strengthen relations between the two countries. He said that India shares a time-tested friendship with both countries.
The Prime Minister also said that he was looking forward to interacting with the Indian community living in these countries.
Speaking about his visit to Russia, the Prime Minister said:
The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the past ten years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
He also added:
I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues. We seek to play a supportive role in a peaceful and stable region. The visit will also provide me with an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia.
Putin will host a private dinner for Prime Minister Modi on the day of his arrival. The next day, Prime Minister Modi’s interaction programme will include a meeting with representatives of the Indian diaspora in Russia.
Indian External Affairs Minister Vinay Kwatra told reporters in New Delhi that given the absence of summits, there are “several issues piling up on the bilateral agenda that need to be addressed.”
Hailing his friendship with Putin, Modi said before his flight that the two countries have made progress in the last decade on a number of fronts, including energy, security, trade and investment.
India is closely watching Russia’s rapprochement with China amid sanctions. During a security summit in Kazakhstan last week, Putin called relations with China “the best in history.”
Notably, this will be Prime Minister Modi’s first trip to Russia since the military conflict in Ukraine began in 2022. He last visited Russia in 2019 when he attended an economic conclave in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.
Earlier, the Kremlin said that deepening trade and economic co-operation will be one of the key topics of the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Vladimir Putin during the latter’s visit.
Prime Minister Modi said he will have an opportunity to meet Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer. He described the country as India’s steadfast and reliable partner and both countries share the ideals of democracy and pluralism.
