Very optimistic of Russia visit outcome: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that he is "very optimistic" about his visit to Russia for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Today I will commence my visit to Russia, my first bilateral visit after we formed the Government. I am very optimistic about the outcome of this visit," Modi said in a Facebook post.

On Wednesday, Modi leaves for Moscow where he will attend the 16th India-Russia annual summit meeting during which a number of bilateral agreements are expected to be signed, with trade being a major focus area.

"My visit will deepen the cooperation between India and Russia in the economic, energy and security spheres. We also want to increase cooperation in science and technology, mining among other sectors. Trade ties between India and Russia can increase even further, to benefit not only our two nations but also the world," the post said.

This will be the first meeting between Modi and Putin since their formal interaction at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in Ufa in July, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

There will be an interaction between Modi and Russian businesspersons to invite them to invest in India. He will also attend a 'Friends of India' programme.