NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday raised the influence of the Russia-Ukraine battle on maritime commerce and the protection of Indian seafarers with Russian president Vladimir Putin, reiterating that dialogue and diplomacy stay the best way ahead to resolve conflicts.The 2 leaders held an over 45-minute bilateral assembly on the sidelines of the Brics summit in New Delhi, the place they reviewed the India-Russia relationship and mentioned key regional and international developments.The ministry of exterior affairs (MEA) stated Modi and Putin “shared views on key regional and international problems with mutual curiosity, together with the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea area which have impacted maritime commerce and the protection and safety of Indian seafarers”.“The prime minister as soon as once more reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy was the best way ahead in resolving conflicts and India stood prepared to help in peace efforts,” the MEA stated.5 Indian seafarers have died within the Black Sea amid the continuing Russia-Ukraine hostilities, prompting India to boost the problem with each Moscow and Kyiv.The assembly got here as India continued to push for better financial engagement with Russia amid geopolitical uncertainties. The 2 sides agreed to work in the direction of elevating annual bilateral commerce to $100 billion by 2030 from round $65 billion.Modi stated he and Putin mentioned nearer commerce ties, together with implementation of the ‘Programme for Financial Cooperation 2030’, in addition to cooperation in infrastructure, power, know-how, defence and tradition.Following their talks, Modi and Putin travelled collectively in the identical automobile contained in the Bharat Mandapam advanced to attend a enterprise discussion board.Of their assembly, the 2 leaders “shared views on key regional and international problems with mutual curiosity, together with the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea area which have impacted maritime commerce and the protection and safety of Indian seafarers”, the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) stated.
Share your ideas within the feedback
Be respectful ยท TOI community guidelines
On the Brics Enterprise Discussion board, Modi linked safe maritime routes on to the functioning of world commerce.“World commerce can solely progress if sea lanes are safe, provide routes stay open, and seafarers are protected. Subsequently, India is a staunch supporter of freedom of navigation and the protection of seafarers,” he stated.Defence cooperation, crucial minerals, civil nuclear power and fertiliser provides have been additionally mentioned in the course of the Modi-Putin meet. The 2 sides additionally reviewed industrial cooperation in areas together with railways and tunnelling, the metal worth chain and increasing entry to the Russian marketplace for Indian exporters.The Russian president additionally invited Modi to go to Russia for the twenty fourth India-Russia Annual Summit. The prime minister accepted the invitation, with the dates to be finalised by way of diplomatic channels based mostly on mutual comfort.