Picture : ANI / X
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for a two-nation visit today, beginning with Moscow, Russia, where he has been invited by President Vladimir Putin to attend the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.
In his departure post on X, PM Modi wrote ,
Over the next three days, 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.…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2024
In a post on X, the Ministry of External Affairs said “PM Narendra Modi sets off on a 2-nation visit to Russia and Austria. The first leg of the visit takes him to Moscow for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. An opportunity to further accelerate – partnership.”
Following his engagements in Russia, Prime Minister Modi will proceed to Austria on July 9-10. This visit marks a historic occasion, as it will be the first time an Indian Prime Minister has visited Austria in 41 years.
Earlier speaking to ANI, EAM S Jaishankar said that this visit will be a great opportunity for PM Modi and Russian President Putin to sit and discuss the relationship.
“There was a bit of a delay in our annual summits, it is a good tradition, we are two 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 rather than later…it is a regular recurrence. It is a way of taking stock of any relationship,” he said.
PM Modi is expected to meet Putin later in the day on Monday. Indian Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar said the visit was a very important one.
