Moscow: India’s Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, on August 5, Wednesday (local time) said that India and Russia are set to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with a series of events across both countries, describing the milestone year as particularly significant for the strategic partnership.
Speaking to ANI, Ambassador Kumar said that the both sides were working on a comprehensive programme of activities spanning multiple sectors. “2027 will be the 80th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Russia and both sides are discussing the proper celebration of this event. We look forward to having a series of events in the two countries, in different cities, in economic, commerce, science and technology, cultural and people-to-people ties related events to commemorate this milestone of 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations, he reiterated.
Calling the year important for bilateral ties, the Ambassador said India is also expecting Russian participation in the BRICS Summit, which will be hosted in New Delhi next month. “So, first of all, I would like to tell you that this year is particularly important for our relationship. We are expecting Russian participation in the BRICS summit, which will be held next month in New Delhi. So far, in various BRICS meetings, Russian participation has been at high levels. Together with this multilateral cooperation within the framework of BRICS, we are also very actively continuing our bilateral cooperation”, Kumar said.
His remarks come as India, which holds the BRICS Chairmanship for 2026, intensifies preparations for the 18th BRICS Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 12-13. Earlier, Russian news agency TASS, citing a government source, reported that India had formally invited Russia to participate in the summit. Separately, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said preparations for the summit were underway in full swing.
India has also invited several countries to participate in the outreach segment of the summit. Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has received an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the outreach session. India’s BRICS Chairmanship in 2026 is guided by the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. The grouping, comprising 11 member nations, serves as a key platform for cooperation on global political, economic and developmental issues.
India-Russia aims to achieve bilateral trade target of USD 100bn by 2030
India’s Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar also exclaimed that India and Russia are working towards an ambitious target of achieving the bilateral trade of USD 100 billion by 2030. He also highlighted that the steady progress in energy cooperation, including the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project and expanding employment opportunities for skilled Indian workers in Russia.
Speaking to ANI, Ambassador Kumar said that the leadership of both countries had set an ambitious trade target and efforts were underway to identify new areas of cooperation alongside strengthening existing sectors. “Trade is growing. We have a target set by the Prime Minister of India and the President of the Russian Federation to reach the trade of 100 billion dollars by 2030. And the focus is to find new areas while increasing the volume of trade in the existing areas”, he said.
The Ambassador said energy continued to remain as a key pillar of the India-Russia strategic partnership, noting that Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom was making significant progress at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tamil Nadu. “Significant progress has been made in Units 3 and 4 of the power plant”, Kumar said. He also highlighted the increasing presence of skilled Indian professionals in Russia, stating that their numbers had risen sharply over the past few years. “Our rough estimate is an increase from around 10,000-15,000 two-three years back to more than 1,00,000 Indian workers in Russia at present”, he said.
According to Ambassador Kumar, the next session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation will be held later this year to review progress, set new targets and identify measures to further strengthen bilateral economic engagement.
(With Inputs from ANI)
