PM Modi meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin here and the two leaders reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the bilateral strategic relationship.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday meets Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: MEA

BISHKEK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin here and the two leaders reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the bilateral strategic relationship. This is the first meeting between the two leaders after Modi's re-election following the stunning victory of the BJP in the general elections last month. "A special partner, a privileged relationship! PM @narendramodi met with @KremlinRussia_E Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of #SCOSummit in #Bishkek. Reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the strategic relationship," External Affairs Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the SCO summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Prime Minister Modi, President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a trilateral meeting, the second among the three countries after a gap of 12 years, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires in December during which they underscored the benefits of a multilateral trading system and an open world economy for global growth and prosperity. Earlier in October, President Putin travelled to India for the 19th India-Russia annual summit during which he held comprehensive discussions with Modi on wide-ranging bilateral, regional and international issues.