NEW DELHI, August 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his deepest condolences over the death of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"Atal Bihari Vajpayee enjoyed a high international reputation with good reason. He will be remembered as a politician who made a great personal contribution to the development of friendly relations between our countries and the development of Russian-Indian highly privileged strategic partnership. I would like to offer my sincere condolences and words of support to the relatives and friends of the deceased, the government and the Indian people," the Russian leader said in a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Its text was published on the Kremlin website.

Russian Ambassador to India Nikolai Kudashev also offered condolences over the death of ex-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In the letter sent to Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj the head of the Russian diplomatic mission noted Vajpayee’s great contribution to the development of Russian-Indian ties.

"Mr Vajpayee was a true and loyal friend to Russia. His contribution to the development of Russian-Indian cooperation cannot be overstated. The Declaration on Strategic Partnership between our countries that was signed when he occupied the position of prime minister raised bilateral cooperation to a completely new level," reads the letter, which TASS has at its disposal.

The Russian Embassy in India offered condolences on Twitter over the death of the former prime minister, noting that the name of Vajpayee became an integral part of the whole epoch in Indian politics. "His devotion to the cause of the people cannot be overstated," the embassy said in the statement.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee died on August 16, aged 94. He occupied the position of Indian prime minister in 1996 and 1998-2004. In these years reforms against poverty were carried out. In May 1998 Vajpayee’s government authorized nuclear arms tests, which deteriorated Indian-Pakistani relations, and after September 11, 2001, it supported the anti-terrorism operation of the US and its allies in Afghanistan. Vajpayee repeatedly met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during official visits and at international forums. In 2000, the two state leaders signed the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, which became the first document of this kind in relations between India and Russia.