Rajnath Singh to visit Russia from December 8-10
What's the story
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Russia from December 8-10, Russia's TASS state news agency reported. Singh's itinerary includes a visit to Moscow and Kaliningrad, a European exclave of Russia. The announcement comes as India and Russia have been engaged in a series of diplomatic engagements to strengthen bilateral ties.
Diplomatic exchanges
Anticipation of Putin's visit to India
Earlier this month, reports indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin could visit India in the next few months. However, no dates have been confirmed yet. The invitation was extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their talks in Moscow in July. The talks were part of PM Modi's diplomatic visit to strengthen India's relationship with Russia and push dialogue as a way to peace amid conflicts.
BRICS summit
PM Modi's recent visit to Russia
Apart from the July visit, PM Modi also visited Russia from October 22-23 on President Putin's invitation. The visit was meant to attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan. During his visit, Putin hosted Modi at his official residence at Novo-Ogaryovo for a "private engagement." The Russian leader lauded PM Modi for his contributions toward India's progress during the meeting.