Narendra Modi in Russia Highlights: PM Modi wraps ‘successful’ Sochi summit, invites Vladimir Putin to visit India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s informal summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Monday focused on a range of bilateral topics, including defence cooperation as well as global issues of common concern. Below are the highlights.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a day-long informal summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s Sochi during the two leaders vowed to strengthen their relationship and work towards a strong multipolar world.

“All in 9 hours! Continuing the tradition of high-leve visits, PM Modi arrives in Sochi for informal summit with President Putin. The two leaders will meet with delegation, followed by a private lunch at Bocharev Creek and conclude with Tete-a-tete before departing today,” said Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson at the ministry of external affairs.

This was the first meeting between President Putin and Prime Minister Modi this year, however, since the beginning of the year, the two leaders have had several phone conversations.

Here are the updates:

11.30 pm: Russian President Putin bids farewell to PM Modi at the airport as the latter wraps visit to Sochi.

11.28 pm : Prime Minister invites President Putin for the 19th Annual Summit in India later in the year.

11.08 pm: Both leaders agreed they’ve responsibility for maintaining global peace and stability and this format of informal summit is additional level of exchanges between them, says Indian foreign secretary, according to ANI report.

9.13 pm: PM Modi leaves Sirius Educational Centre.

9.10 pm: PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin visit Sirius Educational Centre in Sochi.

9.00 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Moya Russia-Ethno Centre in Sochi, reports ANI.

8.30 pm: PM Modi says reviewed complete range of India-Russia relations.

7.37pm: PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin take a ride yacht in the Black Sea.

6.30 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates President Vladimir Putin and Russia for playing host to the FIFA World Cup 2018 beginning next month.

5.35 pm : Ministry of external affairs tweets pictures of PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin on the former’s arrival in Sochi with the caption, “And this is how close friends meet!”.

5.10 pm: Prime Minister Modi invokes former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at least seven times in his opening remarks.

“Being a friend of Russia for a long time, we want to see Russia as a strong and confident country having an important role in the multipolar world,” Modi quotes Vajpayee as saying during Putin’s visit to India in 2000.

He says that “it is our pleasure to see that dream and farsightedness of Atal Bihari Vajpayee come true”.

5.00 pm:

4.45 pm: PM Modi says the strategic partnership between India and Russia has now been elevated into a “special privileged strategic partnership”.

4.21 pm: PM Modi says Russia played a major role in helping India get a permanent membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

“We are working together on International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and BRICS,” says Modi.

SCO is an eight nation bloc which aims at military and economic cooperation between the member states. India and Pakistan were admitted last year into the organisation.

4.03 pm: India and Russia have been friends for a long time. Thankful to President Putin for inviting me for an informal meeting at Sochi, says PM Narendra Modi

4.00 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Russian President Vladimir Putin.

1.00 pm: PM Modi reaches Sochi in Russia.

* The two leaders may also deliberate on extending the Indo-Russia civil nuclear cooperation to third countries, possible areas for cooperation for the International North-South Transport Corridor project, India’s engagement with the five-nation Eurasian Economic Union and the situation in the Korean peninsula.

* On the eve of his visit to Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hoped his talks with President Vladimir Putin would further strengthen the “special and privileged” strategic partnership between India and Russia.

* “Greetings to the friendly people of Russia. I look forward to my visit to Sochi tomorrow and my meeting with President Putin. It is always a pleasure to meet him,” he tweeted.