NEW DELHI: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a two-nation visit to Russia and Austria he said that the visit to the two countries will present an opportunity for India to deepen ties with these nations. In his departure statement, PM Modi said, “Over the next three days, I will be in Russia and Austria. These visits will be a wonderful opportunity to deepen ties with these nations, with whom India has time-tested friendship. I also look forward to interacting with the Indian community living in these countries.” PM Modi said that he wishes to discuss aspects of bilateral cooperation with his friend President Putin. “I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues. We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region. The visit will also provide me with an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia,” the PM said. PM Modi added that the special and privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the past ten years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. After Russia PM Modi will leave for Austria in what is the first visit to the nation by an Indian Prime Minister in 40 years. Speaking about the visit the PM said “In Austria, I will have the opportunity to meet President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer. Austria is our steadfast and reliable partner and we share the ideals of democracy and pluralism.” “This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister in over 40 years. I look forward to my discussions to take our partnership to even greater heights in new and emerging areas of innovation, technology and sustainable development among others. Together with the Austrian Chancellor, I look forward to exchanging views with business leaders from both sides to explore mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities. I will also be interacting with the Indian community in Austria which is well-regarded for its professionalism and conduct,” he added. Earlier speaking about the PM’s visit to Russia, EAM S Jaishankar said ” ” …There was a bit of a delay in our annual summits, it is a good tradition, we are 2 countries which have a strong history of working together. We did value the need for an annual summit. Last year when I went to Moscow, I carried a message from the PM that we are committed to the annual summit and we will do it sooner…it is a regular recurrence. It is a way of taking stock of any relationship…one of the biggest changes has been, that our economic relationship with Russia has grown tremendously…at the leadership level, it will be a great opportunity for PM Modi and (Russian) President Putin to sit down and directly talk to each other.” President Putin will host PM Modi later on Monday, on Tuesday the PM will attend a community event in Moscow.
