"We are developing our ties": Russian President Putin calls India a "reliable partner"

Speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum on Thursday, Putin expressed confidence in the future of India-Russia ties, saying that "We are developing our ties with India and will continue doing that, and we deem India to be a very reliable partner...", as per Reuters.

"Another thing is that the US are trying to put pressure on India in some matters. For example, when it comes to cooperation with Russia on some tracks. But everyone has understood that putting pressure on Narendra Modi, that has the largest population in the world, is detrimental for international relations and for bilateral relations. It doesn't matter where this pressure comes from. We don't see any negative consequences. I think that we can come to an agreement with all the participants in this process. As of today, I would say, there are no serious repercussions emanating from the state of affairs," said Putin. "We (India-Russia) enjoy a special privileged strategic partnership. That is how I characterise this relationship. It did not occur yesterday or one or five years ago. This is something we have been working on for decades. Back in 1947, when the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with the Indian Republic, we have been doing everything to support the establishment of a new state, a new independent state. I'm glad to say that thanks to the hard work and the talent of the Indian people, India has made great and important achievements in its development...," he further said, as per Reuters.

He underlined that India remains one of the world's major economies and is currently witnessing strong economic growth.

"India is one of the leading economies of the world that shows the highest rates of economic growth. This is not something that comes out of the blue. This is a result of the hard work that the government has been doing under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi..." the Russian President said.

Speaking on the impact of US-India relations on India-Russia relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "I don't think that this is the case. We are glad that India is developing its relations with all the countries. It's a great country with one and a half billion people, a large economy, and the largest democracy. It is only natural that it develops its economy in accordance with its interests, with those countries that it deems necessary..." (ANI)