Modi In Russia: Prime Minister Calls Bilateral Ties At All Time High

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India's strong ties with Russia, saying they were "at all-time high". Every Indian sees Russia as a trusted friend, a companion of good and bad times, he said.

Modi said this while interacting with the Indian community at Moscow, Russia, where he is on a two-day visit as part of the 22nd India-Russia annual summit.

Commending Russian President Vladimir Putin for working tirelessly to take India-Russia relations to greater heights, he also said that the ties between both countries are built on strong foundations of mutual trust and respect.

The PM announced that India has decided to open two new consulates in Russia, furthering ease in mobility and trade.

“Our government envisions making India the world's third-largest economy, build three crore homes for the poor and turn three crore poor women in villages to ‘lakhpati didi’,” the Prime Minister said amid chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ and ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’. "I have taken an oath to work three-times faster and with three-times more strength in my third term," the Prime Minister said.

Referring to the T20 world cup victory, Modi said, "Today's youth in India doesn't concede defeat till last moment, just like our cricket team."

The Indian PM also said that cinema has played a key role in strengthening India-Russia relations, recalling the roles played by Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty.

India is transforming today because it believes in the strength of its citizens and its diaspora across the world, he said. "India's development of past 10 years was just a trailer. We will see much faster growth in next 10 years," he said at the summit.

This is Modi's first trip to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine over two years ago. The visit is primarily to discuss bilateral trade and economic ties and certain new areas of scientific and technological research.

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi announced the high-level visit on Thursday. Putin and Modi will review the full range of multifaceted relations between the two countries and exchange views on current regional and global issues of mutual interest, the ministry said.

(With inputs from PTI).