NEW DELHI, September 3. / TASS /. India will help Russia to develop the Northern Sea Route and turn it into an international trade artery, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking via video link at the Eastern Economic Forum on Friday.

"India and Russia are partners in space exploration through the Gaganyan program. Russia and India will also be partners in opening up the Northern Sea Route doer international trade and commerce," he said.

"The friendship between Russia and India has passed the test of time. And most recently it was seen in the cooperation against the pandemic, including in vaccines," said he.

Modi pointed out that the pandemic highlighted the importance of the health and pharmaceutical sectors, which play an important role in India-Russia cooperation. He added that the Chennai-Vladivostok sea corridor is currently under development.

The sixth Eastern Economic Forum is being held in Vladivostok on September 2-4 in a hybrid format, the main theme of the business program is "New Opportunities for the Far East in a Changing World." The forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the general media partner and the official host photo agency of the event.