Narendra Modi: «I am pleased that I had the opportunity to come to Kazan»

The President of Russia and the Prime Minister of India discussed the opening of the country's consulate general in the capital of Tatarstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a meeting with Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, who has arrived to attend the BRICS summit, at the Governor's Palace of the Kazan Kremlin. The parties discussed the importance of the summit, strengthening relations between the states, as well as the opening of the Consulate General of India in the capital of Tatarstan.

«I am grateful that you accepted our invitation and came to the BRICS Summit in Kazan in person. Here in Kazan, we are to make a number of important decisions to enhance the efficiency of efforts made by BRICS and to strengthen multilateral cooperation within the group. We value our cooperation on this track, considering that our nations were instrumental in founding BRICS», – said Vladimir Putin.

Russian President noted that Russian-Indian relations are characterised by a special privileged strategic partnership and continue to develop actively. «Large projects are consistently developing, and we welcome your decision to open a Consulate General of India in Kazan. Expanding India’s diplomatic presence in Russia will contribute to the further development of bilateral relations».

In turn, Narendra Modi thanked for the hospitality: «I am happy to have an opportunity to visit a beautiful city of Kazan to take part in the BRICS summit». The Prime Minister of India noted that the country has deep historical ties with the capital of Tatarstan, and after the opening of the Consulate General here, relations will become even stronger.

«You have successfully chaired BRICS since the beginning of the year, and I would like to congratulate you on this. Over the past 15 years, the BRICS group has developed a special identity, and today many countries are interested in joining it. I am looking forward to our discussions within BRICS tomorrow», – said Narendra Modi.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin met with the head of the New Development Bank Dilma Rousseff at the Governor's Palace. During the meeting, the parties discussed the increase in the share of settlements in the national currencies of the BRICS states.

The Russian leader also plans meetings with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kazan Kremlin today. Bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit will continue in the next two days.

For reference, the BRICS summit will take place in Kazan on 22-24 October. Today, the heads of delegations will visit an informal lunch. Narrow and expanded meetings are scheduled for tomorrow. Then there will be an official meeting ceremony of the heads of delegations and an official reception. Plenary sessions in the outreach and BRICS Plus formats will be held on October 24. The summit will end with a press conference by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The summit participants continue to arrive in Kazan, which will be attended by representatives from 36 countries and six international organizations, as well as twenty-two heads of states.