Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a wide-ranging conversation on regional and international sensitive issues of mutual interests, which includes environmental issue, the border dispute with China and trade ties. Both the countries, India and Russia have strengthened their flagging trade ties and they have also decided to intensify cooperation in the border defense sector by building key military hardware together. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the Russian industry leaders to explore the opportunities and to find out the strategic business priorities in India”.
Recently PM Modi said, “Commerce, Trade, innovation, engineering, and technologies are of immense importance in this era”. As per recent news, the 2 units of Kudankulam nuclear power plant will be built with Russian collaboration. Russian firm Atomstroyexport will work with India’s Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to build unit 5 and unit 6, which will have a capacity to produce more than 2000 MW of electricity. Russia has also confirmed its strong and positive support to Indian candidature for a permanent seat in the reformed UNSC and a membership in the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG).
Trade with Russia stands at around $8 billion, which is down from $10 billion in 2014. Both the nations are hoping to increase it up to $ 30 billion within next five years. PM Modi attended the 18th India-Russia annual Summit in St Petersburg, as Vladimir Putin sought to burnish a fragile recovery at the Kremlin’s economic showcase. Narendra Modi is also the guest of honor at the annual summit of St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The main discussion was on the investment in India, but they have a lot of discussion on environmental issues also. Today PM Narendra Modi asserted that it is committed to protecting the climate irrespective of international deals or other countries stand on environmental protocol. Modi said, “Our commitment to preserving the climate is for the sake of future generations”.
On Friday Narendra Modi’s comments came hours after Donald Trump’s stormy exit from the Paris Agreement on climate change issue. Modi said India had been working to protect the environment even before 190 countries had agreed to sign that Paris deal in two years ago in 2015. According to him “I have in a simple way stated the dream of ‘new India’. I quoted Vedas to say that humans have a right to milk the nature but we have no right to exploit it”.
He also insisted that he didn’t blame US President Donald Trump for quitting the landmark accord and that the United State (US) leader “shouldn’t be judged” for his decision. But other world leaders have reacted with anger after Trump’s announcement abandoning the single most important international effort to abate global warming. Germany and France have reacted against the behavior of Donald Trump. Angela Merkel from Germany and Mr. Emmanuel Macron from France’s have branded Trump’s decision as misguided to defend an accord they consider crucial to the future of our planet.
