Not Only As PM, Modi Worked Towards Bolstering India-Russia Ties Even When He Was Gujarat CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relationship with Russia is longstanding and storied and as he visits Moscow for summit-level talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Modi Archives, a website that narrates the life journey of PM Narendra Modi, shared how he strengthened ties between both countries from the time he was Gujarat chief minister.

Modi Archives on its X (formerly Twitter) page shared photos and stories listing the steps PM Modi had taken to build closer ties with Russia.

In the post, the website highlighted that PM Modi first visited Russia as part of a former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s delegation in November 2001.

“Narendra Modi’s first visit to Russia was on November 6, 2001, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat and accompanied former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Moscow for the India-Russia Summit with President Vladimir Putin,” Modi Archives said, sharing a photo from the event.

It said that PM Modi has fond memories of the visit and in 2019 at an event he recalled how President Putin’s hospitality, where the Russian leader ‘treated him with great respect’ ‘despite being from a small state and relatively new to the international stage’, which in turn ‘opened the doors to a lasting friendship’.

Gujarat-Astrakhan Ties

The post also highlighted that PM Modi, during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister, developed close ties with the government of Astrakhan, a Russian province.

During his visit to Russia, he signed a protocol pact for cooperation between his state, Gujarat, and the Russian province, Astrakhan, where both states agreed to work together in the petroleum and hydrocarbon, trade, science and technology, education, tourism and cultural sectors.

He revisited the region in 2006 and met with the governor of the region at the time, Alexander Zhilkin, and extended the protocol pact for cooperation for another five years.

Modi’s Presentation In Russian

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2009 left Russian businessmen stunned when he delivered a presentation in Russian at an energy conference held in Moscow.

Russian businessmen attending the 9th Russian Oil and Gas Week conference were left stunned when a lawmaker from the Indian state of Gujarat was presenting in Russian. The person who was making the presentation was none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was invited to deliver the keynote address at the 9th Russian Oil and Gas Week conference.

Narendra Modi was then the chief minister of Gujarat and had visited Russia to also attend the 4th International Energy Week conference.

“In 2009, he was invited to address the 4th International Energy Week and deliver a keynote at the 9th Russian Oil and Gas Week conference. CM Modi stumped the Russian businessmen by giving the presentation in Russian!” Modi Archives, a website that narrates the life journey of PM Narendra Modi, said in a social media post on X.

The post was shared as Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Moscow to hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited him for the 22nd India-Russia summit, scheduled for July 8 and 9.

“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues. We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region. The visit will also provide me an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia,” PM Modi said in an official statement.

This visit marks PM Modi’s first trip to Russia in nearly five years and his first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His last visit was in 2019 when he attended an economic conclave in the Russian far-east region of Vladivostok.

The Kremlin in its announcement underscored the “traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations” and said that both leaders will aim to further enhance these ties. It said that both leaders will discuss “current issues of the international and regional agenda,” according to a report by Russian news agency TASS.