Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received praise for his leadership from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who described him as a "very wise man" while speaking at an event, reported India Today.
Putin is heard discussing the significant advancements India has made under Prime Minister Modi's "guidance" in a video posted by the Russian news outlet RT news.
Putin said, "We share very good political relations with Prime Minister Modi, he is a very wise man. And India has been making very great strides in development under his leadership. This fully meets the interest of both India and Russia to work on this agenda," as quoted by news agency ANI.
Putin's high praise for PM Modi comes after the G20 Summit in India, where the New Delhi Declaration was adopted. The declaration, which Moscow hailed as a "milestone," broke away from the previous Bali Declaration by emphasizing peace in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine without directly blaming Russia.
Putin had previously lauded Modi's 2014 "Make in India" initiative, which aimed to encourage entrepreneurship in India, particularly in the manufacturing sector.
In his remarks at the 8th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Putin had suggested that Russia could benefit from India's experience in successfully promoting its own industries.
Putin added that Russia did not have domestically made cars then, but they do now. "Russia should emulate many of their partners, for example, India," he said. He also praised the fact that India is focused on the manufacture and use of vehicles made within the country. Prime Minister Modi is doing the right thing by promoting the Make in India programme, Putin claimed.
Published 05 October 2023, 12:18 IST