India and Russia have been friends for a long time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held an informal summit with President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders discussed further strengthening the Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries and exchanged views on regional and international developments. Both leaders also discussed their respective national developmental priorities and bilateral matters.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Modi said India and Russia have been friends for a long time and thanked President Putin for inviting him for the first-ever informal meeting at Sochi.

PM Modi recalled his first visit to Russia with then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001 and said Putin was the first world leader whom he met after becoming the chief minister of Gujarat.

He said that the seeds of the ‘strategic partnership’ sown by then Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Putin, has now grown into a “special privileged strategic partnership” between the two countries.

The Prime Minister also said Russia played a major role in helping India get a permanent membership in SCO. He added that India and Russia are working together on International North-South Transport Corridor and BRICS.

After hosting Winter Olympics in 2014, Sochi gained popularity worldwide and became one of the best tourist destinations in Russia. The resort city Sochi is ready to add another chapter in the time tested friendship. In recent years, Sochi has become a diplomatic hub.

Sochi is often called the unofficial ‘Summer Capital’ of Russia, or the Black Sea Pearl. This is the country’s biggest and busiest summer sea resort, attracting more than four million visitors annually with its amazing mountainous coastline and endless shingle beaches similar to Indian climate. From May to September Sochi’s population at least doubles with tourists, including celebrities and the political elite of the country.