Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia on October 22, 2024 | Photo: PTI
India supports restoration of peace between Ukraine and Russia and is committed to providing “all possible assistance” to end the crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday (Oct 22, 2024) during a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Modi took part in the bilateral meeting soon after arriving in Kazan, where Russia is hosting 16th BRICS Summit against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine. Mr. Modi also met Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and called for de-escalation of tensions in the West Asian region.
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“We are in constant contact regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. As I have said before, we continue to believe that these disputes should be resolved by peaceful means. We support the earliest possible restoration of peace and stability. Our efforts prioritize humanity. India is ready to extend all possible assistance in the coming period,” Mr. Modi said in his opening remarks. The Prime Minister’s participation in BRICS events in Kazan comes months after he traveled to Moscow for the annual India-Russia summit in July.
Earlier, Mr. Modi was received by Rustam Minikhanov, Head of the Republic of Tatarstan and accorded a traditional Tatar welcome in Kazan, which is the largest city and capital of Russian Tatarstan. For the bilateral meeting with Mr. Putin, he was driven in an Aurus car.
Foreign Minister Vikram Misri told a press briefing that the two countries also discussed the early release of Indian nationals who ended up fighting for the Russian military on the Ukraine front after being duped by unscrupulous foreign recruitment agents. work. “The embassy is currently pursuing about twenty cases with the Russian side and we are very hopeful that all these individuals can be released at an early date and repatriated to India,” Mr. Misri said.
Mr Misri announced that the two countries would hold the 25th session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Technical and Cultural Cooperation in November in New Delhi and that India would soon open two new consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg.
Negotiations between India and Iran
In his meeting with the new Iranian president, Mr Modi discussed the Chabahar port, the North-South transport corridor and the situation in Afghanistan. “The Prime Minister expressed his deep concern over the escalating conflict and reiterated India’s call to protect civilians and stressed the need for dialogue and diplomacy,” Mr Misri said.
The BRICS summit in Kazan is the first occasion when the group will meet in its expanded form, which has taken on since the Johannesburg summit in 2023. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE have been granted permission to join BRICS in Johannesburg and the admission process for new members ended on 1 January 2024.
The summit, to be held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Russia, has also attracted global attention as it has been interpreted as a sign of Russia’s leadership despite the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Ahead of the BRICS summit, Mr Putin hosted United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on October 21 at the Novo-Ogaryovo Presidential Residence in Moscow, where he hosted Mr Modi during the annual meeting at the India-Russia summit in July.
Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president’s press secretary, said the Putin-Al Nahyan meeting was intended to discuss “calmly serious issues”. Other leaders who arrived in Kazan included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, the Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh and the President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro. Mr. Jashim Uddin, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, is also a host in Kazan.
Published – October 22, 2024, 11:47 PM IST
