India and Russia on Monday signed a record 28 MoUs across a wide range of sectors including trade, energy, culture, intellectual property accountancy and education.During a special briefing after the annual summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan said there was an “excellent discussion” between the two leaders. Shringla said President Putin’s visit was short but “nonetheless highly productive and highly substantive”.Besides 28 MoUs, New Delhi and Moscow also signed a programme of cooperation in the field of defence for the next 10 years from 2021 to 2031.“There were excellent discussions between the two leaders. This is President Putin second visit out of Russia since COVID-19 pandemic began. The only visit he has undertaken was the brief visit to Geneva for the Russia-US summit,” he said.“The fact that the Russian president has decided to visit India for the annual summit exceptionally is an indication of the importance he attaches to the bilateral relationship and also his personal rapport,” he added.Noting that “record number 28 MoUs were concluded during the visit,” Shringla said the “agreements were government-to-government and business-to-business, including those involving public sector units.“The diversity of agreements and MoUs signed today shows the multifaceted nature of our bilateral partnership,” he said.
