PM Modi greets Putin on his birthday; reaffirms India-Russia strategic partnership

New Delhi [India], October 7 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to extend warm greetings on his 73rd birthday.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, according to an official statement.
Prime Minister Modi had a telephone conversation with President Putin and conveyed best wishes for his good health and success in all his endeavours.
The two leaders reviewed the progress in the bilateral agenda and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen India-Russia ties, the statement said.
Prime Minister Modi also conveyed that he looks forward to welcoming President Putin to India for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit in December, the statement added.
Earlier, on September 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin had also held a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reaffirming the strong and time-tested nature of relations between Moscow and New Delhi. The Russian leader disclosed details of the exchange during a meeting with members of the Russian Government, according to the official website of the Kremlin.
Putin underlined the stability of Russian-Indian relations, describing them as "based on a national consensus." He also commended India's achievements in governance and economic growth under Modi's leadership.
"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India was pursuing a completely independent, sovereign policy and, most importantly, was achieving very good results in the economic sphere. India was demonstrating the highest economic growth rates among the world's major economies," Putin said.
As reported by TV BRICS, the call came shortly after Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to Modi on the occasion of his 75th birthday. In his message, the Russian President emphasised the Indian leader's personal contribution to strengthening bilateral ties.
"You [Narendra Modi] made a great personal contribution to strengthening the special privileged strategic partnership between our countries and developing mutually beneficial Russian-Indian cooperation in various areas," Putin noted.
The Russian head of state also expressed confidence in the continuation of "constructive dialogue and joint work on topical issues on the regional and international agenda."
As per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Russia had been a longstanding and time-tested partner for India. The development of India-Russia relations had been a key pillar of India's foreign policy since the signing of the "Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership" in October 2000, during President Putin's visit to India.
Subsequently, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ongoing 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, further reflecting the continued momentum in India-Russia diplomatic engagement.
The Russian Embassy in India confirmed the meeting on X, stating, "Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and EAM Dr S Jaishankar held a meeting on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York."
Later, Jaishankar also wrote, "Good conversation with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the sidelines of #UNGA80. Useful discussion on bilateral ties, the Ukraine conflict and developments in the Middle East." (ANI)