Putin pledges more fertiliser for India, confirms meeting with PM Modi in Bishkek

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to boost fertiliser supplies to India, stressing Moscow’s commitment to ties with India. Speaking during a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Putin highlighted energy resources and fertilisers as key priorities. “One of these issues is not only energy resources, of course, but it is also the supply of fertilisers. We are doing everything to resolve this matter for Indian farmers and for agriculture; we are increasing these supplies and are ready to continue doing so,” he said.
The Russian leader noted that nuclear energy cooperation, high-tech collaboration and other areas were progressing confidently. He praised the strength of Russia-India ties built over decades, saying work continued across government, parliamentary and business levels.
Putin pointed to growing trade in the ties. “I am pleased to note that this year our trade turnover has grown. While last year it declined slightly, this year it is rising, and this is in part, or perhaps primarily, thanks to the efforts of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who pays close personal attention to the development of Russian-Indian relations.” Trade between the 2 countries has grown significantly, largely due to increased imports of Russian energy.

PM Modi and the Russian President are expected to meet next week on the sidelines of the SCO Bishkek summit. “I hope to see him in the near future, as we had planned, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in the near future. Our schedule is such that we will probably be able to meet once more this year", the Russian leader said.
Jaishankar, who had earlier held talks with Russian counterpart Denis Manturov in the intergovernmental commission, delivered a personal message from the Indian prime minister, pointing to the economic cooperation. “I would like to note that our economic cooperation has grown significantly", he said. India's External Affairs Minister described the partnership as “strong, robust bilateral cooperation” even as Delhi-Moscow continue to up the engagement in areas like energy and defence.