PM Modi, President Putin hold bilateral talks in Vladivostok; exchange MoUs
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The two leaders signed several MoUs in LNG, infrastructure, and coal.
Prime Minister Modi and Russian President Putin held bilateral level talks in Vladivostok today.
Addressing a joint press conference later, President Putin said, "PM Modi and I keep in close touch," adding, "for the past 50 years, Russia has helped India modernise its defence forces."
This is the third meeting between the two leaders. President Putin and PM Modi last met in June at the SCO summit.
The two leaders signed several MoUs in LNG, infrastructure and coal.
"I'm very grateful to my close friend Vladimir Putin for this opportunity," Modi said at a press conference following talks and a tour of a naval shipyard.
"We have reached a new stage in collaboration," he said, adding that the pair discussed "unprecedented" mutual investment in oil and gas industries.
Watch: PM Modi, President Putin hold a joint media briefing
The two nations also signed a bilateral agreement on space exploration. India and Russia signed thirteen MoUs as PM Modi and President Putin concluded their talks.
A joint statement called for cooperation in military and technological spheres, with the possibility of creating joint ventures in India to develop and manufacture civilian aircraft.
It also called for a reorganisation of the UN Security Council to reflect the "global realities" of a multipolar world.
For his part, Putin hailed his "great friend, Mr Modi" and said India was "our strategic partner."
"Special attention was paid to trade and economic cooperation in the talks," he said, though details of major trade deals were not immediately announced.