5:26 pm: Diamond has become universal symbol of wealth. In India it is a great source of employment for our people, says PM Modi
5:25 pm: India is a natural venue for this conference. It is believed diamond is India's gift to the world, asserts PM Modi
5:24 pm: I am delighted that Delhi is hosting this World Diamond Conference. We are pleased that President Putin is with us today, says PM Modi
5:20 pm: Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says diamond industry is an example of Make in India campaign, which is the vision of the Prime Minister.
5:00 pm: PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend World Diamond Conference.
3:51 pm: I am grateful to PM Modi, Indian colleagues and all Indian friends for your hospitality, says Putin before concluding his statement.
3:50 pm: We had constructive talks on a whole gamut of issues, says the Russian President.
3:46 pm: We are working on 20 nuclear power plant units for India. India and Russia encourage use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes: Vladimir Putin
3:45 pm: During the meeting, both the sides placed emphasis on trade and economic issues: President Putin
3:43 pm: We are content with the outcome of the visit, says Putin. He adds: "Russian foreign policy's priority is to strengthen ties with India."
3:41 pm: Russian President Vladimir Putin begins his address in his native language.
3:40 pm: President Putin and I agreed that this is a challenging moment in the world. Our partnership and the strong sensitivity that we have always had for each other's interests will be a source of strength to both countries. I conveyed my deepest condolences for the loss of lives in the terrorist attack in Chechnya. This also reflects our many shared challenges. Our areas of priority for our cooperation include combating terrorism and extremism; advancing peace and stability in Afghanistan; working together for a stable, balanced, peaceful and prosperous Asia Pacific; and, cooperating for development in other countries. Institutions like BRICS, East Asia Summit and G 20 have also widened our framework of engagement. This is President Putin's eleventh Annual Summit and my first. This Summit reinforced my conviction in the extraordinary value and strength of this partnership. I am confident that our bilateral cooperation and international partnership will acquire new vigour and scale new heights in the years ahead. Modi concludes his statement.
3:39 pm: Today, we have made a new start with a few important agreements. But, we will set an ambitious agenda for partnership in oil and natural gas. Today we have taken a number of decisions and signed several agreements. They also reflect our shared belief that in today's world, vibrant economic relations constitute a key pillar of a strong strategic partnership. Similarly, closer contacts between people and in areas like education, culture and tourism are important. I thank President Putin for his support for India's closer relations with Eurasian Economic Union. The International North South Transport Corridor will connect us better. And, today, we will jointly visit the World Diamond Conference. This highlights our new innovative approaches to strengthening economic relations: Modi
3:38 pm: Today, we have outlined an ambitious vision for nuclear energy of at least 10 more reactors. It will have the highest standards of safety in the world. It will also include manufacture of equipment and components in India. This also supports our Make in India policy, says the PM. Russia is the world's top source for hydrocarbon resources; and, India one of the world's largest importers. Yet, despite our close friendship, our collaboration in this sector has been disappointing: Modi
3:37 pm: Energy security is critical for India's economic development and creating jobs for our youth. Russia is also a key partner in this area. I am pleased that the first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is on stream. It has added 20 percent to the existing capacity for nuclear power in India. We are on course for installing the next three units of 1000 MW each: Modi
3:35 pm: President Putin and I discussed a broad range of new defence projects. We also discussed how to align our defence relations to India's own priorities, including Make in India. I am pleased that Russia has offered to fully manufacture in India one of its most advanced helicopters. It includes the possibility of exports from India. It can be used for both military and civilian use. We will follow up on this quickly. I also proposed that Russia should locate manufacturing facilities in India for spares and components for Russian defence equipment in India. He responded very positively to my request, says Modi.
3:34 pm: The character of global politics and international relations is changing. However, the importance of this relationship and its unique place in India's foreign policy will not change. In many ways, its significance to both countries will grow further in the future. Russia has been India's foremost defence partner through decades. My first visit outside Delhi as Prime Minister was to our new aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya. It sails our seas as a great symbol of our defence cooperation. Even as India's options have increased today, Russia will remain our most important defence partner. We have conducted joint exercises across all three wings of the Armed Forces in the last six months: PM Modi
3:33 pm: President Putin is a leader of a great nation with which we have a friendship of unmatched mutual confidence, trust and goodwill. We have a Strategic Partnership that is incomparable in content. The steadfast support of the people of Russia for India has been there even at difficult moments in our history. It has been a pillar of strength for India's development, security and international relations. India, too, has always stood with Russia through its own challenges, adds Modi.
3:32 pm: It is truly a great pleasure to welcome President Putin to India. We have met twice at the opposite ends of the world - in Brazil and Australia. I am honoured to host him in Delhi for the annual Summit. Since the turn of the century, he has been a key architect of our partnership. President Putin and Prime Minister Vajpayee launched the annual Summit process in 2000. When Prime Minister Vajpayee held the first of summits in Moscow in November 2001, I was there to sign the sister-state agreement between Gujarat and Astrakhan: Modi
3:31 pm: The signing ceremony of agreements between India and Russia concludes.
3:27 pm: India, Russia sign 16 agreements in areas including armed forces training, nuclear energy, oil exploration, infrastructure, medical research in Delhi's Hyderabad House.
3:25 pm: Joint press conference of PM Modi and Russian President Putin begins.
3:15 pm: India-Russia summit ends. Leaders to address media soon.
3:13 pm: Akbaruddin adds that India and Russia discussed potential for bilateral cooperation in outer space to advance societal applications.
3:03 pm: India and Russia discussed collaboration between companies in oil and gas exploration, and production, as well as in LNG projects and supplies, tweets the MEA spokesperson.
2:49 pm: India agrees to expeditiously identify second site, in addition to Kudankulam, for Russia-designed nuclear power units in India, announces Akbaruddin.
2:45 pm: The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, on Twitter, informs that India and Russia, during Summit, agree on strategic vision to strengthen cooperation in peaceful uses of atomic energy.
2:38 pm: Akbaruddin adds:
2:05 pm: External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, giving more information apropos of Modi-Putin meet, says the Indian PM hopes Russian companies will take advantage of avenues to 'Make in India'.
12:25 pm: As soon as the duo began talks, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin took to microblogging website Twitter:
11:55 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
10:31 am: The MEA spokesperson said that there are a lot of issues on the table, "keeping in view our multi-faceted relation", adding the agenda is expansive. The issues include "energy ties, that is in terms of hydrocarbons, nuclear energy cooperation, nuclear power plants in India, defence, and people-to-people ties that are growing very rapidly."
10:30 am: Hailing India-Russia ties, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told a news agency that the two countries share fraternal relationship and have been time-tested friends.
9:00 am: During Putin's visit, India and Russia will ink around 20 agreements, especially in the field of civil nuclear energy, defence and trade. Notably, the summit talks are alternatively hosted by Moscow and New Delhi. Last year, the talks were held in Moscow in October and attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh.
8:25 am: The summit talks will see both India and Russia outline a joint vision of the relationship for the next decade. It will provide a roadmap for enhancing the partnership to qualitatively new levels and have a strong focus on redefining the economic partnership. Russia has said that the bilateral trade, which stands at USD 10 billion, is way too low and needs to be boosted.
8:20 am: Putin will then inaugurate the World Diamond Conference at Vigyan Bhavan, and later meet President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening before leaving for home at night.
8:15 am: Putin, who is bringing along with him a 15-member team of top business honchos, will attend an interaction with CEOs at the same venue.
8:10 am: After the delegation-level talks, both sides will witness the inking of agreements and there will be press statements by both the leaders.
8:05 am: The bilateral summit talks between PM Modi and Putin is the first full-fledged summit between India and Russia after the Modi government took office in May.
8:00 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today meet visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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