India-Russia summit: Congress recalls 'most unusual' pact on protection of birds signed in 1984

New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday recalled that the "most unusual" of India-Russia agreements over the years was the Convention on Protection of Migratory Birds signed in 1984, which he said was the result of the personal interest taken by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Gandhi was one of the founding members of the Delhi Bird Watching Society, Ramesh said.

Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge communications, said there were numerous crucial agreements signed between India and the USSR between 1955 and 1990.

The most well known of them was the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation signed in New Delhi on Aug 9, 1971, he said on X.

"But without doubt, the most unusual of these hundreds of agreements was the Convention on Protection of Migratory Birds signed in Moscow on Oct 8, 1984," the former environment minister said.

This was the result of the personal interest taken by one of the founding members of the Delhi Bird Watching Society, who was then the prime minister of India, he said.

"It had taken her eleven years to get the Soviets on board. It listed 303 birds by name," Ramesh said.

His remarks came on a day when India and Russia unveiled a raft of measures, including a five-year roadmap to build a robust economic partnership and address New Delhi's concerns over trade deficit as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin here.

The two sides signed a total of 11 agreements, including one on the movement of skilled workers from India to Russia. The pacts will provide for cooperation in areas of shipping, fertilisers, healthcare, scientific research, education and people-to-people exchanges.