Putin in Delhi to attend 15th India-Russia Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi late last night on a two-day visit to India to attend the 15th India-Russia annual summit.

During his stay in the Indian capital, Putin will hold detailed talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both in the restricted and delegation format, today.

Prime Minister Modi has welcomed President Putin, saying he is looking forward to a productive visit that will take India-Russia bilateral ties to newer heights.

He further said that the bond between the people of the two nations is very strong, and added that New Delhi is keen to take this relationship to the next level.

The India-Russia Annual Summit process was initiated under President Putin's leadership during his visit to India in October 2000.

This year's summit is expected to result in about 15 to 20 agreements in the fields of defence, nuclear energy, science and technology, space, customs among others.

Putin is also expected to discuss construction of new nuclear plants besides military and technical cooperation.

Thursday's meetings are the first annual summit interaction between Putin and Prime Minister Modi.

Both are also expected to jointly interact with captains of industry of both countries.