Prime Minister Narendra Modi will welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi on Monday, December 6, 2021.
This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since their encounter in November 2019 on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Brasilia.
The two leaders will evaluate the state and prospects of bilateral relations and discuss measures to expand the strategic relationship between the two nations during the meeting, which is expected to begin at 5:30 p.m. at Hyderabad House in the national capital.
Modi and Putin are expected to discuss views on regional, multilateral, and international topics of mutual concern during the summit.
“The visit is in continuation of the tradition of Annual Summits alternately in India and Russia. The visit will provide further impetus to the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” New Delhi had said while officially announcing Putin’s visit to the country.
The last India-Russia Annual Summit was held in September 2019 during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vladivostok (Russia). The Annual Summit in 2020 could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Putin’s trip to India will be his second international trip since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and it will take place as a new Omicron variant emerges, causing several bilateral and international summits to be rescheduled.
In the meantime, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Sunday ahead of the 2 + 2 discussion mechanism’s maiden meeting at the level of foreign and defence ministers.
Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated last month that the dialogue’s agenda will include political and defence matters of mutual concern.
“The establishment of this new mechanism of two plus two dialogue is expected to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries,” he had said.
