Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech at the Fifth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Vladivostok, said that India and the Far-East’s relationship went a long way. As a result, India and Russia have trusted each other for a long time. India was the first country to open its consulate in Vladivostok.

PM Modi further added that when Russia was the Soviet Union, the region of Vladivostok was open to Indian citizens despite having restrictions for rest of the world. Necessities of defense and progress were brought to India via Vladivostok. And the India-Russia partnership only gets stronger by the day as India has invested in the energy and other crucial sectors in Vladivostok. The Indian investment in Sakhalin oil fields is an excellent example of that, Prime Minister Modi asserted.

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PM Modi: India walks shoulder to shoulder with Russia in the journey of development

Describing the importance of Vladivostok, Prime Minister Modi hailed the region for being the bridge between Eurasia and the Pacific. Modi also lauded Putin’s effort of focusing on the development of Vladivostok, which will not only lead to the development of the region but also open doors for Russia’s global partners like India to be a part of the progress. Modi further appended that Putin had considered all the crucial factors such as economy, education, health, sports, culture, communication, trade, and tradition in a bid to open investment opportunities to the world. Putin’s vision is similar to that of India’s vision of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ which includes a holistic approach towards sustainable development, Modi said and also proclaimed that India would always walk shoulder to shoulder with Russia in this visionary journey of development and progress.

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PM Modi meets with leaders of friendly nations on the sidelines of EEF

Prime Minister Modi met leaders of friendly nations, such as Japan, Malaysia, and Mongolia on the sidelines of EEF. Prime Minister Modi and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s discussion included the deepening of multi-faceted ties in economic, defense and security, start-up and 5G areas. They also exchanged views on the regional situation after they met at the G-20 Summit in Osaka in Japan and on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Biarritz in France.

PM Modi also discussed the issue of terrorism and the matter of controversial preacher Zakir Naik's extradition with the Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohammad. The Mongolian President disccused his likely visit to India and developing partnership and other areas of bilateral cooperation.

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