The 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit will be held in Moscow on July 9, 2024
India seeks to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his departure statement on Monday (July 8, 2024) ahead of an official visit to Russia for the 22nd Annual Summit. He will also visit Austria for the first time in the second leg of his three-day visit from July 8-10, 2024
 
Speaking about his visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Modi said the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia had advanced over the past 10 years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. "I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues," he remarked.
 
While he did not refer to the Russia-Ukraine war, Prime Minister Modi stated, "We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region".
 
Earlier, briefing the media in New Delhi on Friday (July 5, 2024), Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said issues of regional and global importance for both countries were always taken up when Prime Minister Modi and President Putin met during past India-Russia Summits.
 
He referred to what Prime Minister Modi said during their meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand in 2022 to highlight India's stand on Ukraine. "You are well aware of what the Honourable Prime Minister spoke when he referred to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine at that time with the Russian President," he said in response to a question. 
 
"Today's era is not of war," Prime Minister Modi had stated in his opening remarks at the bilateral meeting with President Putin on September 16, 2022. Democracy, diplomacy and dialogue are things that touch the world, he added.
 
Explaining India's position on the India-Ukraine conflict, Foreign Secretary Kwatra said, “We have always maintained a very clear and consistent position and approach that enduring peace can be achieved only through dialogue and diplomacy, and we continue to believe that such a peace requires bringing together all stakeholders and a sincere and a practical engagement between the two parties of the conflict".
 
According to the official schedule for the visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin will host a private dinner for Prime Minister Modi on Monday evening. The interactions on Tuesday include an interface with the Indian community in Russia and laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Kremlin. Prime Minister Modi will thereafter visit the Rosatom Pavilion at the exhibition venue in Moscow.
 
These engagements will be followed by a restricted level talk between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin then by delegation level talks led by the two leaders. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to depart Moscow for Vienna in the afternoon of July 9, 2024.
 
According to Foreign Secretary Kwatra, the 22nd annual summit between India and Russia would provide an opportunity to the two leaders to review the whole range of bilateral issues, including defence, trade linkages, investment ties, energy cooperation, S&T, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
 
“They would also share perspectives on regional and global developments of mutual interest. They would also assess the status of bilateral engagements in groupings such as BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, G20, East Asia Summit, and the UN,” he added.