President of Russian Federation Calls on President
Rashtrapati Bhavan : 12.12.2014
His Excellency Mr. Vladimir V. Putin, the President of the Russian Federation called on President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday (December 11, 2014).
Interacting with the Russian President, the President said India considers President Putin a great friend and the guiding force behind the strategic partnership between the two countries. India is fully committed to developing and deepening the India-Russia partnership in diverse areas. He was happy that during Mr. Putin’s present visit the two countries have outlined a joint document laying out the vision for enhancing the strategic partnership to a qualitatively new level in the coming years. Defence cooperation is an important pillar of the strategic partnership between India and Russia. Russia will remain a trusted and indispensable partner for India’s defence needs. India welcomes Russian participation in India’s defence sector in joint production, research and development and offsets. The economic dimension of the bilateral relationship has huge untapped potential. Expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Russia is a priority for India.
The President said India appreciates Russia’s support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council and the two countries should work together to make progress in this direction. India is also grateful for Russia’s support for India’s membership of multilateral export control regimes.
The Russian President told President Mukherjee that his visit has been successful and meaningful. Bilateral relations between the two countries are developing well. He agreed with the President that the two countries can do much better on trade and said Russia would be happy to enhance cooperation in various fields, including energy and defence.
President Putin greeted President Mukherjee on his 79thbirthday and gifted him copies of photographs and documentary films relating to Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to Russia in 1930.
This release issued at 1450 hrs.
