Speaker 1 (00:21):
His excellency, Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bharat. Honorable ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. I welcome you all to this ceremony where we shall witness exchange of several MoUs and agreements and a few announcements that reflect the wide-ranging multifaceted bilateral cooperation, under the framework of the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership. We will begin with exchange of two documents, namely the agreement between the government of the Republic of India and the government of the Russian Federation on cooperation in migration and the agreement between the government of the Republic of India and the government of the Russian Federation on temporary labor activity of citizens of an estate in the territory of the other estate. These documents will be exchanged by Mr. Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India.
(01:33)
The next two documents include the agreement between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation on the cooperation in the field of healthcare, medical education, and science, as well as the agreement between the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Republic of India, and the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing of the Russian Federation in the field of Food Safety Cooperation. These two agreements will be exchanged by Mr. Mikhail Albertovich Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, and Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Office Minister of India. We next have two memorandums of understandings. These include the MoU between the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation on the training of specialists for ships operating in polar waters, and the MoU between the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of the Republic of India, and the Maritime Board of the Russian Federation.
(03:22)
These documents will be exchanged by Mr. Andrey Sergeyevich Nikitin, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, and Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India. We now have the exchange of MoU between Mrs. JSU Ural Kim and Mrs. Rashree Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited and National Fertilizers Limited and Indian Potash Limited. This document will be exchanged by his excellency, Denis Alipov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to India, and Shri Vinay Kumar, Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation Federation.
(04:34)
The last two documents include the protocol between the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs of the government of the Republic of India and the Federal Custom Service of the Russian Federation for cooperation in exchange of pre-arrival information in respect of goods and vehicles moved between the Republic of India and the Russian Federation and the bilateral agreement between the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications with the Republic of India and JSC, the Russian Post. These documents will be exchanged by his excellency, Denis Alipov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to India, and Shri Vinay Kumar, Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation. I would like to additionally inform everyone that the two leaders have also adopted a joint statement, which will be issued shortly. Both sides have also adopted the program for the development of the strategic areas of India-Russia economic cooperation till 2030.
(05:41)
We also welcome the Russian [inaudible 00:05:44] decision to adopt the framework agreement to join the International Big Cat Alliance. Ladies and gentlemen, I now request the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs to conduct the rest of the proceedings.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
[Hindi 00:06:05]. Good afternoon, your excellency, Mr. Vladimir Putin. Honorable ministers, members of both delegations, distinguished guests and friends from the media. We will now have the press statements. May I request Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi to give his remarks to the media.
Translator 1 (06:30):
Your excellency, my friend, President Putin, delegates of both countries, friends from the media, [Hindi 00:06:39]. It gives me immense pleasure to welcome President Putin to the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. His visit to India comes at a time when our bilateral relations are passing through a period marked by several historic milestones. It was exactly 25 years ago that President Putin laid the foundation of our strategic partnerships. 15 years ago in 2010, our partnership was elevated to that of a special and privileged strategic partnership. In the last two and a half decades, he has consistently nurtured these relations with his leadership and foresight. In every situation, his leadership has elevated mutual relations to a new height.
(07:49)
I express my heartfelt gratitude to President Putin for this deep friendship and unwavering commitment towards India. Friends, over the last eight decades, the world has seen many ups and downs. Humanity has had to endure countless challenges and crises. During all these, the India-Russia friendship has stood firm like a poster. These relations are rooted in mutual respect and deep trust, and have always stood the test of time. Today, we discussed all aspects of cooperation to make this foundation even stronger. Elevating economic cooperation to new heights is our shared priority. To make this a reality, today, we agreed on an economic cooperation program till 2030. This will help make our trade and investments more diversified, more balanced, and more sustainable, and at the same time, it will also add new dimensions to our areas of cooperation.
(09:35)
Today, President Putin and I, will have the opportunity to participate in the India-Russia business forum. I'm confident that this platform will further strengthen our business relations. This will also open new doors for export, co-production, and co-innovation. Both sides are making efforts to conclude the FTA with the Eurasian Economic Union at the earliest. Our close cooperation in the area of agriculture and fertilizers is important for food security and for the welfare of our farmers. I'm pleased that taking this forward, both sides are now making effort for joint production of Urea. Friends, increasing connectivity between the two countries is a major priority for us. We will move forward in the INSTC, the Northern Sea Route, and the Chennai-Vladivostok corridors with renewed energy. I'm pleased that now we will be cooperating for the training of seafarers in polar waters.
(11:22)
This will not only give renewed strength to our cooperation in the Arctic, it will also create new opportunities for employment for the Indian youth. Similarly, our deep cooperation in the area of ship building will help in strengthening our 'Make in India' initiative. This is another excellent example of our win-win cooperation, which will promote jobs, skills, as well as regional connectivity. Energy security has been a strong and important pillar of India-Russia partnership. Our decades old cooperation in the area of civil nuclear energy has been instrumental in helping us pursue our common commitment to clean energy which is a priority for both of us. We will continue this win-win cooperation. Our cooperation in the area of critical minerals is important for ensuring secure and diversified supply chains for the entire world. This will also give strong support to our partnership in areas such as clean energy, high-tech manufacturing, and new age industries.
(12:33)
Friends, our cultural relations and people-to-people ties have had special importance in India-Russia relations. For decades, the people of our two countries have shared mutual affection, respect, and close bonds. We have taken several new steps to further strengthen these relations. Only recently, we have opened two new Indian consulates in India. This will make contacts easier between the citizens of both countries and will bring them closer together. This year in October, hundreds of thousands of devotees received blessings of the holy relics of Lord Buddha at the International Buddhist Forum in Kalmykia. I am pleased that very soon, we will be starting our gratis 30-day e-Tourist Visa, and a 30-day group Tourist Visa for Russian citizens.
(13:57)
Manpower mobility will not only bring our people closer together, it will give new strength to both countries and create new opportunities. I am pleased that two agreements have been signed today to promote this. Together, we will also work on vocational education, skilling, and training. We will always increase exchanges of students, scholars, and sports persons between our countries. Friends, today we also discussed regional and global issues. With regard to Ukraine, India has stood for peace from the beginning. We welcome all efforts being made to find a peaceful and lasting solution to this matter. India has always stood ready to contribute to these efforts and will remain ready to contribute in the future as well. India and Russia have long supported and work shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism. Whether it was the terrorist attack that took place in Pahalgam, or the cowardly attack on Crocus City Hall, all of them have the same root cause.
(14:46)
India firmly believes that believes that terrorism is a direct attack on human values and that global unity alone is our biggest source of strength to fight it. India and Russia have had close cooperation in the UN, G20, BRICS, SCO and other forums. Moving ahead with close coordination, we will continue our dialogue and cooperation in all these forums. Excellency, I am very confident that in the times to come, our friendship will give us the strength to face global challenges, and it is this firm belief that will lead us to a more prosperous shared future. Once again, a very big thank you to you and to your delegation for making this visit to India. [Hindi 00:16:46].
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Thank you, sir. May I now request his excellency, Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation to give his remarks to the media.
Translator 2 (17:03):
Distinguished Prime Minister, dear friend, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I'd like to sincerely thank the President of the Republic of India, Droupadi Murmu. You personally, distinguished prime minister, and all our Indian colleagues for the warm and hospitable welcome accorded to the Russian delegation. There are negotiations that which has had with the Indian colleagues and as well as our talk yesterday with distinguished Mr. Modi, in the form of [inaudible 00:17:39] at his residence, a dinner which was great. I'd like to thank you for this sign of attention. These talks were very useful. They were held in a constructive and friendly atmosphere, in the spirit of the special and privileged partnership between Russia and India.
(17:57)
I would like to point out that we and Prime Minister Modi have established the close-working dialogue. In September this year, we met during the SCO Summit in Tianjin. We are regularly having telephone calls. We are personally overseeing some [inaudible 00:18:17]development Russia-India cooperation [inaudible 00:18:20] and also that we are monitoring the course of the implementation of key bilateral projects, and today with [inaudible 00:18:22] of our delegations, we have meticulously and [inaudible 00:18:31] reviewed the whole range of relevant questions of the Russian-Indian multivested interaction. We exchanged our opinions on the relevant global regional subjects.
(18:33)
In the joint statement that we've adopted with Mr. Modi, we [inaudible 00:18:56] the priority objectives on the furthering enforcements of our ties in [inaudible 00:18:58] six and security, economy, trade, military, and culture spheres. As [inaudible 00:18:58] we have signed an impressive package of inter-governmental, inter-agency, and cooperates agreements. Many of those agreements are intended to broaden the economic cooperation between Russia and India, and this is entirely natural due to the fact that our countries are important partners of one another in trade, investment, and technologies.
(18:59)
Last year, our bilateral trade turn over has grown by 12%, stating another record according to different data. This number may look diff, but it is generally around $64 billion. Currently, we are forecasting that the results of this year will remain at the same impressive level. At the same time, as I perceive it, we are up to the task of getting this number to the level of $100 billion. To reach this important goal, we have harmonized the program with the Russian-Indian economic cooperation until 2030. This comprehensive document gives us concrete set objectives. The inter-governmental commission, the ministries and different agencies [inaudible 00:20:10] block of both countries have set objectives to remove barriers hampering the goods flows and capitals. The implementation of joint projects and deep technology in innovation cooperation, and distinguished prime minister gave us a whole list of challenges that deserve the most attentive focus of government. We will do that.
(21:05)
The growth of Russian-Indian commercial links would be held by the creation of a free trade zone between and the Eurasian economic union. We are already conducting work on the [inaudible 00:21:06] agreements. I would like to note with satisfaction that our countries are gradually moving to the use of national currencies in mutual settlements. The share of this national currencies is already 96% in commercial deals. We've established the resilient channels of credit financial and inter-banking cooperation. Russia economic operators have broaden this [inaudible 00:21:15] of use of Indian rupees which we received from the fulfillment of export contracts. Russian rubles have been used to provide loans for large joint projects. We are also seeing successful partnership in energy.
(21:31)
Russia is a reliable supplier of oil, gas, coals, and everything that is required for the development of India's energy. We are ready to continue uninterrupted shipments of fuel for the fast-growing Indian economy. Of course, the bilateral interaction in energy does not limit to that. We are also conducting a [inaudible 00:21:57] project to build the largest Indian nuclear power plant, Kudankulam. Two out of six reactor units have been already connected to the energy network, and four are still under construction. Getting this nuclear power plant to full power input will give an impressive contribution to the energy requirements of India. Which it will help supply Indian enterprises and houses with cheap and clean energy.
(22:29)
We presumed that we could talk about reconstruction of small modular reactors and floating nuclear power plants and also non-energy application of nuclear technologies. For example, in medicine or agriculture. We are working with our Indian partners to build new effective international transport logistic routes, including the project to create an international north-south transport corridor from Russia and Belarus to the Indian Ocean coast. There are a large share opportunities for better trade, due to the broadening of the trans-Arctic transport corridor infrastructure, including its main [inaudible 00:23:10] the northern sea route. There are many other sectors [inaudible 00:23:18] with Russia [inaudible 00:23:18] different experience. We are conducting joint initiatives in industry, machine manufacturing, digital technologies, space exploration, and other science-intensive avenues.
(23:28)
For example, in accordance with the commercial [inaudible 00:23:39] visit, there will be a large Russian-Indian pharmaceutical factory built in the [inaudible 00:23:43] region in Russia. We'll be starting the production of high quality antitumor medicinal drugs using the advance in the technology. In the turn, the Russian enterprise will be establishing the production of industrial product in the framework of the 'Make in India' program, which is a hallmark project of distinguished Prime Minister Modi. The prospects of the reinforcements of the interaction of fresh new Indian entrepreneurs and business circles are discussing detail during the ongoing business forum in New Delhi. We are going to take part in the preliminary session of this event today, together with Mr. Modi.
(24:10)
The humanitarian cooperation between Russia and India is also a multivested character. Our people throughout centuries have been sincerely interested in their traditions, history, and spiritual [inaudible 00:24:38] of each other. Scientific in [inaudible 00:24:38] context exchanges from among the youth and [inaudible 00:24:39] also actively developing. The regular alternating festivals [inaudible 00:24:46] Indian cinema are always popular. From year-to-year, we see the increase in tourist flows. Today, the Russian TV channel, RT is starting its broadcast in India. The new channel will undoubtedly help the Indian audience to better know Russia and Russians, and also to receive an objective information regarding what is going on in our country today.
(25:13)
While discussing the key global regional problems, we've confirmed the [inaudible 00:25:18] between the positions of countries. Russia and India are conducting independent and self-sufficient foreign policy together with our like-minded countries in BRICS and SCO, and from other countries of the global majority. We are promoting the processes of forming a more just and democratic multipolar world order. We are defending the main principles of the international law in trying to the end the charter of the UN.
(25:45)
Among them, the right of any country with its own way of development and the preservation of their culture civilization or identity. Respect for sovereignty, careful balance of interest of all participants of the world community. As a state founders of the BRICS, Russia and India have done a lot of things and continue to do more to increase the authority of the nation. As now, next year, India will assume the chairmanship and the BRICS will provide all the necessary assistance to our friends in the work on the relevant BRICS agenda. I will like to point out that Russia and India are traditionally closely cooperating in the military technical sphere. Our country for the last half a century has been helping to arm and modernize the Indian army, including the air defense forces, aviation, and the navy. In general, we are undoubtedly satisfied with the results of the negotiation we just had. We are also ahead of us.
(26:44)
We have the meeting the President of India, Madame Murmu, but even now, I can express my confidence that the current visit and the agreements reached, we will help to further deepening of the Russian-Indian strategic partnership for the benefit of our countries and people. The people of India and Russia. Thank you for your attention.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
That concludes the press statements. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your presence.