Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm welcome as he landed in Kazan, Russia, for the 16th Brics Summit. The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day.
Besides Putin, the Prime Minister is likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as hold bilateral talks with leaders from the other Brics member nations.
"Landed in Kazan for the Brics Summit. This is an important summit, and the discussions here will contribute to a better planet," PM Modi tweeted.
The External Affairs Ministry said the Prime Minister was received at the Kazan airport by Rustam Minnikhanov, head of the Republic of Tatarstan.
In a statement before departing for Russia, the Prime Minister said that "India values the close cooperation within Brics which has emerged as an important platform for dialogue and discussion on issues concerning the global developmental agenda, reformed multilateralism, climate change, economic cooperation, building resilient supply chains, promoting cultural and people to people connect".
He said his visit to Kazan would also "further reinforce the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" between India and Russia.
The summit comes in the wake of ongoing global unrest, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East crisis.
During a recent interview with media, India's Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, emphasised the nation's role as a strong advocate for peace and conflict resolution through dialogue and diplomacy.
“The issue has been discussed and spoken about. India has consistently held the view that the concerned parties need to engage and find resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy," he said.
Last month, Putin acknowledged PM Modi as a "friend" and expressed gratitude for India's support in seeking a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war.
This is when the Russian President extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to attend the Brics Summit.
Putin's acknowledgement came two months after PM Modi called him and urged an early resolution to the two-year war. PM Modi also met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in August in Kyiv.
This is the Prime Minister's second visit to Russia this year. In July, he attended the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit in Moscow. During this visit, he not only held bilateral talks with Putin, but was also conferred Russia's highest civilian award, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle
Another significant development that took place on the eve of the Brics Summit was India and China agreeing to resume patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh "leading to disengagement", marking a massive breakthrough in diplomatic ties between the two neighbours.
While making the announcement of the agreement on Monday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also touched upon the possible meeting of PM Modi and President Xi.
"We are still working around the time and engagements," he said.
The two-day Summit, under the theme "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security", will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues.
It will also offer a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by the nine-nation alliance and to identify potential areas for future collaboration.
