Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russia President Vladimir Putin. (Source: Twitter/ @narendramodi)
Following the India-Russia summit in St Petersburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement on Thursday where they spoke about “70 years of strong ties” between the two countries. In this regard, PM Modi said the two countries have adopted the St. Petersburg declaration. In the statement titled ‘A vision for the 21st century’, India and Russia also urged all countries to stop cross-border movement of terrorists. The two countries called for a “decisive collective response” from the international community and said the threat of terrorism must be tackled without “double standards and selectivity”.
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“We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stress that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons,” the joint declaration said.
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The joint statement also called for an early conclusion of negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism to strengthen the global counter-terrorism normative and legal framework. PM Modi also spoke about strengthening ties between the two countries which would be a ‘benchmark’ for global stability.
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“India and Russia have adopted the St. Petersburg declaration which will not only improve our ties but also be a benchmark for global stability,” PM Modi said. “India and Russia’s cooperation has grown extensively. President Putin and I reviewed the full range of our ties and looked at how to deepen them,” he added.
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India and Russia also announced the conclusion of General Framework Agreement & Credit Protocol for Units 5 and 6 of Kudankulam Nuclear Plant. The statement also said the two countries would welcome cooperation among energy companies of India and Russia in ‘modernising’ existing power stations and ‘building new ones in India’.
“Economies of India and Russia complement each other in energy sector. Will strive to build an “Energy Bridge” between our States,” the joint statement said. The statement added that the two countries had a “shared commitment” in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. India and Russia also signed five agreements among themselves.
