Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that India deserves to be included in the list of global superpowers as its economy is currently growing faster than any other country.
Addressing the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, Putin also said that Russia is developing relations with India in all directions and has great confidence in bilateral relations.
“With a population of one and a half billion, the fastest growth among all economies in the world, ancient culture and very good prospects for further development, India should undoubtedly be included in the list of superpowers,” he said.
Describing India as a great country, Putin said, “We are developing relations with India in all directions. India is a great country, now the largest country in terms of population: 1.5 billion people, plus every year 10 Million.” He said that India is leading. In world economic development.
“Our vision of where and at what pace our relations will develop is based on today’s realities. The volume of our cooperation is growing several times every year,” Russian news agency Tass quoted Putin as saying.
Putin said that contacts between India and Russia are developing in the security and defense sector.
“Look at how many types of Russian military equipment are in service with the Indian armed forces. There is a great deal of trust in this relationship. We don’t just sell our weapons to India; we jointly design them,” he said.
Putin named the BrahMos cruise missile project as an example.
“In fact, we have made it (the missile) suitable for use in three environments – in the air, at sea and on land. These projects, conducted for the benefit of India’s security, are ongoing,” he said.
“This is widely known and no one has a problem with it, but these projects demonstrate a high level of mutual trust and cooperation. So that is what we will continue to do in the near future, and, I hope, in the future as well Will continue to do so for the foreseeable future,” he said.
The agency reported that Putin acknowledged some difficulties on the border between India and China.
However, he said that intelligent and capable people who have the future of their nations in mind are looking for compromises and will eventually find them.
“If this approach continues to gain momentum, compromises can and will be found,” Putin said.
Relations between India and China declined after the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
On October 21, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in New Delhi that after several weeks of talks, an agreement between India and China has been finalized and will resolve the issues that emerged in 2020.
Agreement was reached on patrolling and withdrawal of troops along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, which is a major achievement in ending the standoff that has lasted for more than four years.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
