MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. The Indian Consulates General in Kazan and Yekaterinburg have started work and will serve as a catalyst for the countries' ties, said Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar on the occasion of Republic Day.

"I am pleased to announce that the Indian consulates in Yekaterinburg and Kazan have started their work," the diplomat said.

The ambassador expressed confidence that the consulates would serve as a catalyst for further development of relations between the two countries on a wide range of issues, including in the trade and economic sphere.

Kumar said that under the leadership of Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi, the partnership between Moscow and New Delhi has "significantly expanded and deepened."

Republic Day is celebrated annually in India on January 26 when the constitution of an independent country came into force 1950.