Russia's Putin hails India as a 'great country', recognises it as global superpower with rapid growth (WATCH)

Russia Putin hail India as a 'great country', recognises it as a global superpower with rapid growth (WATCH) snt

First Published Nov 8, 2024, 12:54 PM IST | Last Updated Nov 8, 2024, 12:55 PM IST

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday highlighted India's position as a "natural ally" and an enduring partner for Russia, underlining the shared history, trust, and cooperation between the two nations. Addressing the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin expressed his admiration for India, calling it a "great country" and acknowledged India's rapid economic growth and potential as a global superpower.

In his address, Putin emphasised Russia’s expanding ties with India, noting that bilateral cooperation is advancing "in all directions" with trade turnover approaching USD 60 billion. He reiterated the Soviet Union’s historic support for India’s independence, which he said laid the foundation for the close, trusting relationship the two countries enjoy today.

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"We are developing our ties with India in all directions. India is a great country. It is a leader in terms of economic growth among large economies, with its GDP posting an annual growth of 7.4 per cent," Putin told the plenary session at the Valdai Discussion Club, as per TASS news outlet.

"Our vision of where and at what pace our relations will develop is based on today's realities. The volume of our cooperation is multiplying year after year," Putin was cited by the news agency.

Putin also recalled the Soviet Union's role in India's declaration of independence, which created "relations that are unique in terms of quality and degree of trust" between the two nations.

"This is a base for us to develop bilateral relations in all dimensions," the Russian leader said.

According to the Russian President, India deserves recognition as a global superpower, with its 1.5 billion population, rapid economic growth—the fastest among major economies—rich cultural heritage, and promising prospects for continued advancement.

Putin emphasised that collaboration between Moscow and New Delhi extends into defense, citing the BrahMos missile project as a prominent example of the two countries' successful joint research and development efforts. The BrahMos, named after India’s Brahmaputra River and Russia’s Moskva River, showcases the robust partnership in security and technology between the nations.

"Look at how many types of Russian military equipment are in service with the Indian armed forces. There is a great degree of trust in this relationship. We don't just sell our weapons to India; we are engaged in joint research to design them jointly," he said.

"The BrahMos systems are used in the air and in the sea and this partnership is something that people know about and this testifies to the high level of trust and the high level of our partnership it is going to continue in the future," Putin added.

The Russian President also added that the two nations are enhancing their cooperation within the BRICS framework, which he described as a "free and non-bloc" model of international relations.

At the recent BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia introduced a symbolic BRICS banknote, although Putin noted it was premature to consider a common currency for BRICS members, as significant economic integration would first be necessary.

"We do not have such objectives in between because in order to talk about a certain common currency, firstly, great integration of economies should be achieved and, secondly, the quality of economies should be somehow lifted to a certain level so that these are very similar economies, comparably by quality, by the structure," Putin was citied as saying at the Sochi conference.

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The Russian leader also acknowledged the friendship between him and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Russia in July for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. During the visit, Putin honoured PM Modi with Russia's highest civilian award, the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, for advancing the "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" between the two nations.

Russia has been a longstanding and reliable partner for India.

During a November 5 event in Moscow, where he accepted the credentials of new foreign ambassadors, President Putin praised Prime Minister Modi's leadership and referred to India and Russia as "strategic partners."

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