india

Updated: Sep 04, 2019 23:20 IST

Amid tensions with Pakistan after the repeal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India and Russia are both against “outside influence” in internal matters of a nation.

PM Modi, in a joint statement with Russian president Vladimir Putin, said that both the countries realise the importance of a multipolar world. “We are working together on many global forums like BRICS and SCO,” the Prime Minister said.

Moscow has backed India over its move on Article 370 and said the changes are within the framework of the India’s Constitution.

Modi and Putin discussed ways to strengthen relations between New Delhi and Moscow in various areas such as trade, defence, space, oil and gas and connectivity. The two sides signed 15 agreements.

Russia, PM Modi announced, will help train astronauts for the India’s first manned space mission: Gaganyaan.

The PM said India-Russia friendship has benefited the people of both the nations. “The India-Russia friendship is not restricted to their respective capital cities. We have put people at the core of this relationship,” Modi added.

President Putin agreed that India is one of the key partners of Russia and the relationship between the two states is of “strategic and special privileged nature”.

The Russian leader highlighted the energy cooperation between the two nations with a special mention of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu. “We shipped 3.3 million tonnes of oil to India last year,” he said.

Kudankulam, Putin said, is the flagship joint project in the India-Russia energy cooperation. “The first two units of Kudankulam are already operational. The work for the third and fourth unit are going as per schedule,” he said.

Earlier, Modi had thanked Putin for deciding to award him Russia’s highest civilian award and said it was a matter of honour for 1.3 billion Indians.

PM Modi was given a guard of honour upon his arrival in Vladivostok, the capital of the Russian Far East. He is the first Indian prime minister to visit the Russian Far East Region.