MONITORING (SW) – During his visit to India for the 21st annual India-Russia summit, President Vladimir Putin addressed the issue of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
He also talked about other key areas with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to bolster Indo-Russia ties, reported WION.
In his opening remark, Putin said, “We’re concerned about everything that has to do with terrorism. The fight against terrorism is also a fight against drug trafficking and organised crime. In that regard, we are concerned about developments of the situation in Afghanistan.”
The Russian President lauded India as “a great power”, a friendly nation and a time-tested friend. He further said that the relations between India and Russia are “growing” and he is looking into the future.
He added, “Currently, mutual investments stand at about 38 billion with a bit more investment coming from the Russian side. We cooperate greatly in the military and technical sphere like no other country. We develop high technologies together as well as produce in India.”
During the summit, both the nations signed a record 28 MoUs and agreements across a wide range of sectors including, defence, trade, energy, culture, intellectual property accountancy and education.
The visit was in continuation of the tradition of annual summits held alternately in India and Russia. Earlier in the day, the two countries held their first 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
India and Russia on Monday signed an agreement for the procurement of 6,01,427 assault rifles AK-203 through Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd, under the military-technical cooperation arrangement for 2021-31.
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