Diplomat Vikram Misri, India's Foreign Secretary, to Make a Trip to Moscow by This Week

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin recently held a bilateral summit in Moscow, focusing on increasing trade and reducing trade imbalances between the two nations.

The discussions, co-chaired by the two leaders, also touched upon the role of the India-Russia partnership in ensuring India's energy security. Last year, Modi visited Russia twice—in July, marking his first visit since the outbreak of the conflict, and in October to attend the Brics summit in Kazan.

During his remarks on bilateral ties, Modi thanked President Putin for Russia's support on the food and fertilizer security front. He also highlighted the India-Russia pact on fuel supplies, stating that it had a role in stabilizing the global fuel market. Modi expressed gratitude for Russian support that helped India protect its citizens from fuel price shocks and ensured ample fertilizer supplies for farmers.

The 22nd annual bilateral summit between India and Russia had a principally economic agenda, which included broad-basing the trade basket, increasing market access for Indian goods in Russia, and reducing trade imbalance. Modi also thanked President Putin for support to India's "Make in India" initiatives.

The preparations for Putin's planned visit to India in 2023 will be coordinated by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The foreign secretary of India, Vikram Misri, is expected to visit Moscow this week, but there has been no official announcement yet from New Delhi.

The visit by Putin is expected to further strengthen ties between India and Russia, which are known as time-tested friends. Western pressure on India to reduce ties with Russia has eased following a softening of the stance by the Trump administration in the United States and the European Union's continued antagonism towards Moscow due to the Ukraine conflict.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has stated that the next-generation GST reforms will bring relief to the common man and MSMEs in India. However, the specific details of these reforms have not been provided in the article.

As India remains a major importer of Russian oil, the easing of pressure on reducing ties with Russia is likely to bring relief to the country. The discussions during the summit also reaffirmed the commitment of both nations to increase cooperation in various sectors, including trade, energy, and defense.

Diplomat Vikram Misri, India's Foreign Secretary, to Make a Trip to Moscow by This Week