India-Russia partnership guided by shared commitment to peace: Murmu at banquet hosted for Putin

New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) The partnership between India and Russia is guided by a shared commitment to peace, stability and mutual socio-economic and technological advancement, President Droupadi Murmu said on Friday.

Murmu was speaking at a banquet hosted for visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

Welcoming President Putin and his delegation, she said that his visit marks an important milestone -- the 25th anniversary of the India-Russia strategic partnership which was established in October 2000 during his first visit to the country as president.

Murmu appreciated President Putin's support and personal commitment to the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership.

She said that "our partnership is guided by a shared commitment to peace, stability and mutual socio-economic and technological advancement", according to a statement issued by the president's office.

The year 2025 has been especially fruitful for India-Russia multifaceted partnership, with notable progress in areas including high-level political exchanges, trade and economy, defence, civil nuclear cooperation, space, science and technology, education, culture and vibrant people-to-people exchanges, Murmu said.

The president also recalled the centuries-old cultural dialogue between the people of India and Russia, from ancient trade routes to the inspiring correspondence through letters between Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy, and the mutual admiration for each other's rich cultural, literary and artistic heritage.

Both leaders expressed confidence that the friendship between the two countries, which has been steadfast for many years, will continue to prosper for many more to come, the statement said.

Putin was accorded a ceremonial welcome and a tri-services guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.

He landed in New Delhi around 7 pm on Thursday for his first visit to India in four years.

Murmu said that the joint statement of the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit reflects the special nature of their ties and provides a comprehensive framework for further deepening the bilateral ties.

The banquet was attended by Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other dignitaries.

India and Russia on Friday firmed up a five-year plan to bolster economic and trade ties in the face of Washington's punitive tariff and sanctions regime even as Prime Minister Modi conveyed to Putin that the war in Ukraine must be brought to an end through peaceful means.

Following their summit talks that generated global attention, Modi and Putin demonstrated their keenness to impart a fresh momentum to the over eight-decades-old India-Russia friendship with the prime minister saying that it remained steadfast like a "pole star" notwithstanding geopolitical churn.

Besides finalising the 2030 economic programme, the two sides signed several agreements to expand cooperation in a number of sectors including health, mobility and migration, food safety, shipping and people-to-people exchange.

At their summit talks, they also condemned the terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and Moscow's Crocus City Hall and strongly pitched for a "zero tolerance" policy on terrorism. PTI AKV AKV KSS KSS