PM Modi's Russia Visit Great Opportunity To Directly Address Trade Imbalance: EAM Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister highlights the importance of PM Modi's upcoming visit to Russia, emphasising direct talks with President Putin on trade imbalance and other bilateral issues.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday highlighted the significance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Russia, emphasising the opportunity for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on trade and other bilateral issues. Speaking to news agency ANI, Jaishankar underscored the importance of addressing the existing trade imbalance between the two nations.

"There are issues...like the trade imbalance," Jaishankar stated. "So, at a leadership level, it will be a great opportunity for Prime Minister Modi and President Putin to sit down and directly talk to each other. And then obviously, as per their directions, we will see how to take the relationship forward."

Jaishankar also lauded the India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit as a valuable tradition, despite recent disruptions. "Now, this was a tradition. It's a good tradition. We are two countries that have such a strong and very steady history of working together. So both of us value very much the need for an annual summit," he said. Reflecting on his previous visit to Russia at the end of last year, Jaishankar noted that he had carried a message from PM Modi expressing India's commitment to the summit.

"Even last year, I went to Moscow at the end of the year, and at that time, I carried a message from the prime minister that we are committed to the annual summit, and we will do it sooner rather than later," Jaishankar recalled.

India’s Economic Relationship With Russia Has Grown Tremendously:  S Jaishankar

The External Affairs Minister emphasised the summit's role as a platform to assess and advance the bilateral relationship. "It's something that was waiting to happen. It's a regular occurrence. It is a way of taking stock of any relationship," he noted. "What you do is you look at the state of the world, there are things you want to do more. There are things you want to do differently. One of the big changes has actually been that our economic relationship with Russia has grown tremendously."

PM Modi is scheduled to visit Moscow on July 8, following an invitation from President Putin, to participate in the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. The 21st summit was held in December 2021 when President Putin visited New Delhi. During his visit, PM Modi is expected to engage in discussions on regional and global issues of mutual importance with President Putin. According to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, PM Modi will also interact with the Indian community in Russia and visit the Kremlin the day after his arrival.