Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the issue of early discharge of the remaining Indian nationals in the Russian Army during his bilateral meeting on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was held on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan.Â
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Addressing a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the two leaders also shared perspectives on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Prime Minister reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy were the way to resolve the conflict. He briefed President Putin about his engagements with the Ukrainian leadership and noted that India stood ready to contribute to bringing peace to the region.Â
Indian In the Russian Army
“An important issue that came up was the issue of early discharge of the remaining Indian nationals in the Russian army. This figured from both sides of the discussion, and with the support of the Russian side, a number of Indian nationals have, in recent months, been able to return to India. We understand that currently, the embassy is pursuing around 20 cases with the Russian side, and we very much hope that all of these individuals can be released at an early date and be repatriated to India very soon,” he said.Â
A total of 85 Indian nationals recruited by the Russian military have been discharged so far, and authorities are working for the release of another 20 citizens, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday.
Misri said the two sides also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing defence cooperation and agreed to hold the next meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Cooperation Group on Defence Cooperation in Moscow as soon as possible.Â
Energy Cooperation
On energy cooperation in which there is engagement between India and Russia on building nuclear power plants in India, it was agreed that the Department of Atomic Energy and the Russian agency Rosatom would continue to remain in touch to adhere to the mutually agreed schedule for the installation of the remaining units, that is units 3 to 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.Â
Economic Cooperation
Economic cooperation figured quite prominently in the talks, and Misri said the two sides discussed the possibility of further cooperation in the financial sector. Sustaining supply chains for the steady and regular sourcing of fertilisers and coal from Russia was also discussed, and President Putin promised assistance in this regard. The Foreign Secretary said India will host the 25th session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on trade, technical, economic and cultural cooperation in New Delhi on November 12, 2024, for which Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov will lead the Russian delegation.Â
“As I had pointed out just a couple of days ago as well, India is at this time working with the Russian side to open a new consulate right here in Kazan in the not-too-distant future. Another new consulate that was announced sometime back will be opened in Yekaterinburg,” he said.Â
PM Modi said in a post on X that he had an excellent meeting with President Putin.
Had an excellent meeting with President Putin. The bond between India and Russia is deep-rooted. Our talks focussed on how to add even more vigour to our bilateral partnership across diverse sectors. pic.twitter.com/5KCjqSO0QS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2024
“The bond between India and Russia is deep-rooted. Our talks focussed on how to add even more vigour to our bilateral partnership across diverse sectors,” he said.Â
Prime Minister thanked President Putin for inviting him to the 16th BRICS Summit. He appreciated the Russian Chairship of BRICS and its efforts to strengthen multilateralism, advance sustainable development, and push for global governance reform. The two leaders also reviewed bilateral cooperation in various political, economic, defence, energy, and people-to-people ties.Â
An official release said the two leaders agreed to remain engaged to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries, which continues to register significant growth and has shown resilience in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties. Misri said the two leaders discussed the progress made in bilateral relations since the 22nd annual Summit in Moscow, which was held in July this year.
