Vladimir Putin wishes PM Modi success for 2019 Lok Sabha polls

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on phone on Monday to wish each other on the new year. While the two leaders mainly focused on bilateral cooperation and current international issues, Vladimir Putin also took the opportunity to wish Narendra Modi for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, a Russian diplomatic source told India Today TV.

The statement put out by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Putin and Modi also discussed defence and counter-terrorism.

"The two leaders appreciated the major milestones achieved in the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries in the past year. Recalling successful wide-ranging discussions, inter alia, in Sochi in May 2018 and during President Putin's visit to New Delhi in October for the Annual Summit, the leaders agreed to maintain the momentum in the bilateral relations, said the statement.

President Putin reiterated the invitation to the annual Eastern Economic Forum in September 2019. He had invited Prime Minister Modi for the same during the India-Russia annual bilateral summit held in New Delhi in October.

PM Modi also expressed his best wishes to the Russian people on the occasion of Christmas.

The two leaders hailed the major milestones achieved and agreed to continue contacts at various levels.

"Both leaders agreed that India-Russia cooperation plays an important role in the global multilateral order. Both countries, therefore, will continue their close consultations in the United Nations, the BRICS, the SCO and other multilateral organisations, the MEA statement said.

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