Expecting a 'very important' visit by PM Modi; West watching it with 'jealousy': Kremlin
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Synopsis
Prime Minister Modi is set to visit Moscow for summit talks with President Putin, discussing various regional and global issues. The visit highlights the strategic partnership between India and Russia, with a focus on maintaining strong diplomatic relations despite recent events.
The programme of Prime Minister Modi in Moscow will be extensive and the two leaders will be able to have informal talks, Peskov said in an interview with Russia's state-run VGTRK television channel on Saturday.
"Obviously, the agenda will be extensive, if not to say overbusy. It will be an official visit, and we hope that the heads will be able to talk in an informal way as well," he said.
Peskov said that Russian-Indian relations are at the level of strategic partnership. He said that there would be both one-on-one talks in the Kremlin and those involving delegations.
"We are expecting a very important and full-fledged visit, which is so crucial for Russian-Indian relations," he was quoted as saying by the official Tass news agency.
Peskov also emphasised that the West is closely and jealously watching Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit to Russia.
"They are jealous - that means they are closely monitoring it. Their close monitoring means they attach great importance to it. And they are not mistaken, there is something to attach great importance to," Peskov said in response to a question about the jealous attitude of Western politicians towards Modi's visit to Russia, the Tass report said.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Modi has held several telephonic conversations with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stressing the importance of ending the war that has impacted the global economy.
In reflection of its strong friendship with Russia, India has not yet condemned Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the conflict must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
India's import of discounted Russian crude oil has also gone up significantly notwithstanding the G7 price cap and increasing disquiet over the procurement in many Western capitals.
It will be Modi's first visit to Russia in nearly five years. His last visit to Russia was in 2019 when he attended an economic conclave in the Far East city of Vladivostok.
So far, 21 annual summits have taken place alternately in India and Russia. The last annual summit was held on December 6, 2021 in New Delhi when Putin visited India.
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