MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. This year’s meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will boost relations between the two countries, the ambassador of the South Asian republic to Moscow, Vinay Kumar, told reporters on the sidelines of the Moscow International Book Fair.
When asked to comment on whether the contacts between the two leaders will boost bilateral relations between Moscow and New Delhi, the Indian diplomat said: "Oh, absolutely."
He recalled that, last year, Modi arrived in Russia on his first visit since 2019, and "this year we have had several ministerial visits."
"Our leaders met [at the SCO summit] in Tianjin in China," Vinay Kumar noted. "And we are waiting for the next visit of [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin to India later this year," Vinay Kumar added.
"So, absolutely," he concluded.
Putin-Modi meetings
The SCO summit took place in Tianjin on August 31 - September 1. It was attended by more than 20 leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of ten international organizations.
After the SCO summit, Putin and Modi communicated one-on-one in Putin’s Aurus car en route to the venue of Russian-Indian talks. The motorcade pulled up to the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Tianjin, and the accompanying delegations went inside while Putin and Modi continued their conversation in the car. This conversation lasted 50 minutes. Then, the leaders moved to the negotiating room where their delegations had been waiting for them.
During his one-on-one meeting with Putin, Modi said that India was looking forward to Putin’s visit in December for the 23rd Russian-Indian summit.