Putin lauds India’s progress during 77 years of independence
Vladimir Putin has congratulated Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 78th anniversary of the country’s independence from British colonial rule.
“Over 77 years of independent development, your country has achieved universally recognized success in socio-economic, scientific, technical, and many other fields, earning high prestige on the global stage,” the Russian president said in a letter published on the Kremlin website on Thursday.
Moscow attaches great significance to its partnership with India, Putin continued, adding that he was confident that the implementation of deals and agreements reached following his talks with Indian leaders in Moscow last year would contribute to the further development of cooperation between the two nations.
“Beyond any doubt, it meets the interests of our friendly peoples and is in line with efforts to strengthen international stability and security,” Putin said.
Modi’s two-day visit to Moscow for the 22nd annual bilateral summit with Putin resulted in a joint statement covering areas such as energy and defense cooperation, trade, space, and connectivity.
Moscow and New Delhi signed nine separate agreements following the talks, including on promoting cross-border investment, on trade and investment in the Russian Far East, and cooperation on climate change and low-carbon development. They also set a goal of reaching $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. Previously, the two leaders had a target of $30 billion by 2025, which was surpassed by a significant margin during the past financial year.
Notably, Russia was chosen as the destination for Modi’s first bilateral visit after securing a third consecutive term in office.
Echoing the Russian president’s sentiments, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in its congratulatory message on Thursday that India enjoys “well-deserved authority on the world stage, playing a major constructive role in international affairs.”
Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov, who extended his best wishes in Hindi, said “India embarked on an incredible journey [77 years ago] to establish itself among the leading powers of the world.”
British India was partitioned in August 1947, ending 300 years of colonial rule with the creation of two independent nations, India and Pakistan. A poorly prepared partition led to communal violence and millions of deaths, as well as the displacement of some 15 million people. Today, both countries are nuclear powers and share a deeply strained relationship stemming from unresolved territorial disputes.
India, which became the world’s most populous country in 2023, surpassing China, is today the fifth-largest economy with a GDP of $3.94 trillion in 2024. The country is expected to become the third-largest economy in the world with a GDP of $5 trillion in the next three years and reach $7 trillion by 2030 on the back of continued reforms, according to targets set by Narendra Modi’s government.
