Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow on his two-day visit on July 08, Monday. Prime Minister Modi was received by First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov on his arrival at the Vnukovo-II Airport and was accorded a formal welcome. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a ‘Guard of Honour’ during his visit to Russia.
Prime Minister Modi was personally received by Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and traveled from the airport to the hotel in the same car. The protocol of taking the same car to the hotel gives a clear and strong indication of how much Russia values its relations with India.
A memorable welcome in Moscow! I thank the Indian community for their affection. pic.twitter.com/acTHlLQ3Rs
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2024
Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia, where he was received by the Russian Deputy Prime Minister. He is second in the order of seniority along with the first Deputy Prime Minister. This is the first occasion when Russian President Putin has sent the First Deputy Prime Minister of the country to receive a foreign head of state at the country’s airport.
India has maintained close relations with Russia since the Cold War and there was a time when Russia was India’s largest arms supplier. But in recent years, due to increasing pressure on military resources due to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, arms exports to India from Russia have declined significantly. Also, India has been a major buyer of subsidized Russian oil. Energy partnership has been given a new shape by this relationship between India and Russia. This gives Moscow a lot of revenue and boosts Russia’s war fund, while saving India billions of dollars.
PM @narendramodi arrived to a ceremonial welcome in Moscow, Russia. He would be meeting President Putin and taking part in other programmes. pic.twitter.com/ulERkE36vS
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 8, 2024
This is PM Modi’s first visit to Russia after 2019. India will want to balance this visit to Russia with increasing security cooperation with Western powers while advancing its long-standing ties with Moscow. At the same time, such a high-level reception of the Prime Minister of India by the Russian government reflects the change in the global scenario as well as the ever-growing importance of India as a partner.
During his visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 22nd India-Russia Annual Conference, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Along with this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also interact with members of the Indian community in the capital Moscow.