Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 76th birthday, crediting him with strengthening the "special and privileged" strategic partnership between New Delhi and Moscow. The Russian leader thanked PM Modi for the hospitality extended to him and the Russian delegation during last week's BRICS summit in Delhi.
The Russian Embassy in India shared President Putin's message for PM Modi on Instagram with the hashtag 'DruzhbaDosti' -- a combination of Russian and Hindi words for friendship. Under the vision of Druzhba-Dosti, New Delhi and Moscow aim to strengthen their ties over the next decade.
"You are rightly enjoying deep respect from your compatriots and great authority on the global stage. It is impossible to overstate your personal contribution to strengthening the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia," the Russian Embassy wrote, translating Putin's message from Russian.
In the statement, the Russian leader described his recent talks with PM Modi as "substantive, frank, and productive" and said he is ready to continue cooperation between the two nations on bilateral and international issues.
"As always, it was a genuine pleasure to talk with you, and our discussions once again demonstrated your extraordinary political wisdom and foresight. We will, of course, continue our constructive cooperation on pressing bilateral and international issues for the benefit of our friendly nations," Putin added.
Putin was in India on September 12-13 for the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi. During his trip, he held a meeting with PM Modi at Bharat Mandapam, where they discussed bilateral cooperation in key sectors and also the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the Black Sea region.
The two leaders also travelled in the same car to visit the INNOPROM Exhibition, immediately after ending their bilateral discussions. The exhibition had been organised by the two countries' ministries of industry and trade.
The bonhomie between the two leaders is not new. It was also on display in Kyrgyzstan on August 31 when they travelled in the same car to the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games after their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek.
Last year too, PM Modi and President Putin had travelled in the same car to the venue of the bilateral meeting in China's Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO Leaders' Summit.
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