Putin to visit India after 4 years
What's the story
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be visiting India soon to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed the same during a televised address, adding that preparations for the president's visit are underway. However, the exact date and month of the high-profile visit are still not known. Putin had last visited India in 2021 for the India-Russia Annual Summit.
Diplomatic exchange
Modi's invitation to Putin during last year's visit
Last year, during his visit to Russia, Indian PM Narendra Modi had invited President Putin for an official state visit. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made his first foreign visit to Russia after being re-elected for his third consecutive term. Now it is our turn," Lavrov said. Lavrov's comments were made at a conference on "Russia and India: Toward a New Bilateral Agenda," organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).
Conference insights
Putin's congratulatory message on Republic Day
In his congratulatory message to President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi on India's 76th Republic Day in January, Putin had said that Russian-Indian relations are based on a "special and privileged strategic partnership." He said that he hoped that the two countries would use joint efforts to continue to consistently build up productive bilateral cooperation across all areas.
India
Russia developing 'privileged strategic partnership' with India
Just recently, Lavrov also said that Russia is developing a "privileged strategic partnership" with India. According to the state-run TASS news agency on Monday, Lavrov stated at an event that Russia is aggressively expanding ties with China, India, Iran, North Korea, and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Putin and Modi maintain regular communication, speaking on the phone every few months. The two leaders also meet in person, often on the sidelines of international events.