By Our Representative The People’s Forum on BRICS, which took place in Goa on October 13-14 in Goa, ahead of the high profile summit meeting Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has urged in a declaration that the BRICS nations should “look at issues of social, economic and environmental justice”, something they have been consistently ignoring.
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PM Modi, who reached the state last night, then held delegation-level talks with Putin before both the heads of state delivered a joint statement detailing the partnership between the two countries.
Defense ties between Russian Federation and India are crucial for New Delhi.
Among the agreements signed were the procurement of the S-400 air defence system and construction of 1,135 series of frigates in India. Just minutes ago, with dedication of Kudankulum 2 and laying of foundation concrete of Kundankulum 3 and 4, we saw the tangible results of India-Russia cooperation in the field of Civil Nuclear Energy.
“Your leadership has provided stability and substance to our strategic partnership”, Modi said alongside Putin at a beachside resort, after officials signed up to 20 agreements between the two nations.
For decades, India and Russian Federation have shared a close relationship that dates back to the days of the Cold War, when the United States tilted toward India’s regional rival, Pakistan.
Under this deal, valued at about half a billion American dollar, two vessels will come from Russian and while the other two will be built in India with Russian collaboration.
“They stressed the need to deny safe havens to terrorists and the importance of countering the spread of terrorist ideology as well as radicalisation leading to terrorism, stopping recruitment, preventing travel of terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters”, it said, an obvious reference to Pakistan.
“President Putin and I noted the similarity of our views on the situation in Afghanistan and turmoil in West Asia”, Modi said. For the first time ever BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit held today, BIMSTEC bloc engaged with Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal.
India and China have the responsibility to join hands and turn the 21st century into an Asian century, said the prime minister.
Modi described the talks as highly productive and meaningful, and said they reinforced the “special and privileged nature of India-Russia ties”.
Strongly condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, Modi and Putin emphasized on the need for a comprehensive worldwide collaboration for its eradication, the joint statement said. Russian Federation and Pakistan recently conducted joint military exercises, something that would have been unthinkable for Indians to imagine even a short while ago.
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“Businesses and industry between our two countries are connected more deeply today”. A range of key bilateral and global issues including ways to tackle threat of terrorism besides security situation in the region are also likely to figure in the talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
