Putin discusses bilateral cooperation with Indian Foreign Minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin received Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the Kremlin. The two sides noted the significant growth in economic cooperation between the two countries, Russian state news agencies reported.

The Russian president gave a positive assessment of trade between the two countries this year, noting that the issues under discussion included not only energy but also fertiliser supplies.

He expressed readiness to increase fertiliser supplies to India. Putin said the two sides continued to cooperate in all areas, not only economically but also at the governmental and parliamentary levels.

Jaishankar, for his part, proposed discussing cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. He also conveyed greetings and a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Putin.

“I hope to meet him soon, as we had planned, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation,” RIA Novosti quoted the Russian president as saying.

Putin did not rule out meeting Modi again this year outside the framework of the SCO.

Jaishankar, for his part, highlighted the strong cooperation between India and Russia. He said economic cooperation between the two countries had grown significantly.

“We really have strong, robust bilateral cooperation,” TASS quoted the senior Indian diplomat as saying.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to meeting you at the SCO summit and also hopes that you will have the opportunity to come to the BRICS summit [scheduled to take place in India on September 12-13] and hold this annual summit,” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.

The Indian External Affairs Minister is in Russia on a two-day official visit. He has met Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and is also scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.