Kremlin: Preparations for Indian PM Modi’s Visit to Russia in Final Stages

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Tuesday that preparations for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia are in the “final stages.” The exact dates will be revealed soon, pending final agreement with Indian officials.

“We will announce this visit officially a little later, by agreement with our Indian friends. I can only confirm to you once again that the visit is in the final stage of preparation,” Peskov stated during a press briefing, as reported by local media.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Press Secretary emphasized that PM Modi’s visit, anticipated to occur around July 8, is a “very important” event.

In New York on Monday, the first day of Russia’s presidency at the UN Security Council, Russia’s Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia highlighted the special privileged strategic partnership between the two countries. He asserted that “serious messages” would emerge from PM Modi’s visit to Moscow.

“India is a longtime friend of Russia. We cooperate in so many areas, and I think there will be substantive conversations on the whole range of issues that our countries cooperate on,” Nebenzia told reporters.

“I’m not aware of what kind of documents will be the result of that visit, but I’m sure that there will be serious messages coming out of it, and, I presume, in the form of joint documents as well. I expect Russian-Indian relations to blossom even better,” he added.

Prime Minister Modi last visited Russia for the 20th India-Russia Bilateral Summit, held on the sidelines of the 5th Eastern Economic Summit, where he was the guest of honour, in Vladivostok in September 2019. This visit was a game-changer for India’s focus on the Russian Far East, paving the way for broader cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow in areas such as oil and gas, road transport, defence, and trade and investment.

PM Modi, who will not attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Astana on Thursday, last made an official visit to Moscow in 2015.