Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday departed for Vladivostok, Russia, where he will be on a two-day visit on September 4 and 5, 2019, during which he will attend the 5th Eastern Economic Forum as a Chief Guest. The Prime Minister has been invited by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and will also take part in the 20th India-Russia annual summit with him.

The two-fold objective of the visit

This visit will be the first by an Indian PM to the Far East Region of Russia, highlighted Narendra Modi in his departure statement. The PM also underlined the desire on both India’s and Russia’s side to diversify and further strengthen the bonds of their robust bilateral relations. He stated the two-fold objectives of his visit- one is to participate at the Eastern Economic Forum and second to take part in the annual Indo-Russian summit.

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According to the Prime Minister, the Forum focuses on the development of business and investment opportunities in the Russian Far East Region and presents enormous potential for developing close and mutually beneficial cooperation between India and Russia in this region. He also pointed out that the two countries enjoy excellent relations, based on the strong foundation of a special and privileged strategic partnership. "Both countries cooperate extensively in the strategic fields of defence, civil nuclear energy and peaceful uses of space. We have robust and growing trade and investment relations," he wrote.

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PM Modi looking forward to meeting his "friend" President Putin

This strong partnership is complemented by a desire to promote a multipolar world and the two countries closely cooperate towards this end in regional and multilateral fora. PM Modi said, “I look forward to discussing with my friend President Putin the entire gamut of our bilateral partnership as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. I also look forward to meeting other global leaders attending the Eastern Economic Forum and interacting with Indian Industry and business representatives participating in it.”

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Prime Minister will visit the Zvezda shipbuilding complex. He stated that it would present a great opportunity to learn about Russia’s exemplary capabilities in the shipbuilding sector as well as explore possibilities of cooperation in this area. PM Modi also mentioned, in a tweet, that as a part of efforts to boost cultural cooperation, a special stamp to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th Jayanti would be released. An innovative app to popularise Yoga would also be launched. PM hopes that more Russian citizens make Yoga an integral part of their routine.

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Here is the statement reproduced in full:

I will be visiting Vladivostok, Russia on 4-5 September, 2019. My visit to Far East Region of Russia, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, underlines the desire on the both sides to diversify and further strengthen the bonds of our robust bilateral relations. The objective of my visit is two fold- to participate as the Chief Guest at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum at the invitation of President of the Russian Federation Mr Vladimir Putin andto hold the 20th India-Russia Annual Summit with him. The Forum focuses on development of business and investment opportunities in the Russian Far East Region, and presents enormous potential for developing close and mutually beneficial cooperation between India and Russia in this region. Our two Countries enjoy excellent relations, based on the strong foundation of our special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Both countries cooperate extensively in the strategic fields of defence, civil nuclear energy and peaceful uses of space. We have robust and growing trade and investment relations. Our strong partnership is complemented by a desire to promote a multipolar world and the two countries closely cooperate towards this end in regional and multilateral fora. I look forward to discussing with my friend President Putin the entire gamut of our bilateral partnership as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. I also look forward to meeting other global leaders attending the Eastern Economic Forum, and interacting with Indian Industry and business representatives participating in it.