New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Moscow and the outcomes of his summit talks with President Vladimir Putin were "historic and revolutionary" considering the prevailing turbulent geopolitical environment, Russia's charge d'affaires said on Wednesday, Roman Babushkin.
The Russian diplomat said the focus of talks between the two leaders was the expansion of trade and economic ties between India and Russia.
In his first trip since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Modi made a two-day visit to Moscow on July 8 and 9, during which he held summit talks with Putin.
"The leaders have decided to strengthen cooperation in all areas. It is a historic and revolutionary measure, especially given the turbulent environment around us," Babushkin said at a news conference.
"It has had unprecedented coverage and presumably eclipsed all other events. It seemed like everyone was watching," he said.
Babushkin also criticized the United States for making certain comments ahead of Modi's visit to Moscow and described the comments as interference in ties between the two nations.
"It was the conduct of two independent global powers based on mutual trust and respect. External factors do not play much role when it comes to Russia-India relations," he said.
India and Russia have established fundamental convergences in key areas of our cooperation, he said.
The senior diplomat said both sides pledged to expand cooperation in a range of key areas, including fossil fuels, nuclear energy and trade.
Highlighting the key outcomes of the summit talks, Babushkin said India and Russia decided to go ahead with a bilateral payment system using national currencies.
As you may have noticed, one of the most important points of the joint statement was that we have decided to move forward with the establishment of a payment system within the framework of settlement in national currency, he said.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides set a target of $100 billion in annual trade volume by 2030 and promised to develop a robust bilateral payment settlement mechanism using national currencies.
On India's demand on Russia to ensure the return of Indians working in the Russian army, he said: "We are on the same page as India on this issue."
We hope it will be resolved soon, he said, when the Indians return home.
The Russian diplomat said the focus of talks between the two leaders was the expansion of trade and economic ties between India and Russia.
In his first trip since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Modi made a two-day visit to Moscow on July 8 and 9, during which he held summit talks with Putin.
"The leaders have decided to strengthen cooperation in all areas. It is a historic and revolutionary measure, especially given the turbulent environment around us," Babushkin said at a news conference.
"It has had unprecedented coverage and presumably eclipsed all other events. It seemed like everyone was watching," he said.
Babushkin also criticized the United States for making certain comments ahead of Modi's visit to Moscow and described the comments as interference in ties between the two nations.
"It was the conduct of two independent global powers based on mutual trust and respect. External factors do not play much role when it comes to Russia-India relations," he said.
India and Russia have established fundamental convergences in key areas of our cooperation, he said.
The senior diplomat said both sides pledged to expand cooperation in a range of key areas, including fossil fuels, nuclear energy and trade.
Highlighting the key outcomes of the summit talks, Babushkin said India and Russia decided to go ahead with a bilateral payment system using national currencies.
As you may have noticed, one of the most important points of the joint statement was that we have decided to move forward with the establishment of a payment system within the framework of settlement in national currency, he said.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides set a target of $100 billion in annual trade volume by 2030 and promised to develop a robust bilateral payment settlement mechanism using national currencies.
On India's demand on Russia to ensure the return of Indians working in the Russian army, he said: "We are on the same page as India on this issue."
We hope it will be resolved soon, he said, when the Indians return home.
