New Delhi: Describing Russia as India's unwavering friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the relations between New Delhi and Moscow are linked together through water, land and sky.
He said that Russia has always stood with India and that in the global environment 'New Delhi never had to wait to know what Moscow will do with its friend'.
In an interview to Russian news agency, TAAS, the Prime Minister also noted that his political journey was almost identical to that of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I am going on a state visit for the first time, but I have been meeting President Putin frequently. In a way, mine and President Putin's political journey has moved identically. He took over in 2000, I took over in 2001. And in 2001, I visited as member of the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's delegation, in capacity of a Chief Minister. So that was my first meeting. When I go to Russia, there is a thought in my mind that I have delayed the visit a bit," he said.
This is Modi's first state visit to Russia as a Prime Minister. Before this, Modi had visited Ufa in July where he had a formal interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sideline of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit.
Terrorism is enemy of humanity: PM
On terrorism, Modi said that 'those who believe in humanity must unite against this evil', which the entire world is facing today.
"India is a victim of terrorism for the last forty years. We have seen the fiercest of fierce forms of terrorism. And it remains a danger for the innocent civilians. Today it is slowly spreading throughout the world," he said.
Noting that 'terrorism is the enemy of humanity', he said, "Those who believe in humanity, all those powers must unite against terrorism. Humanity is not restricted within political boundaries. Political philosophy can not weigh humanity. Humanity must be weighed with the scale of humanity only. And all who believe in humanity, irrespective of any political consideration, must come together and only then they can fight it."
He reiterated that 'religion has nothing to do with terrorism' and that all the people of the world must, with one voice, delink terrorism from religion.
Putin a strong leader: PM Modi
Lauding Putin further, he said that the world knows him as a 'strong leader' and a 'decisive person'.
Modi said that besides providing an excellent leadership to Russia, 'whenever there is a crisis in the world, Putin comes up with his own ideas with its strength'.
"The best thing is that he knows how to maintain relations. He has a special strength to sacrifice for the relations. It is rarely found. And therefore, for him to sacrifice, to maintain relations are his special strength. Due to this an atmosphere of trust is born immediately with any country and with any leader. Between me and President Putin, trust is a very big strength, confidence is a very big strength," he said.
"Secondly it is openness. There are those who think something, but say something else. This I have not experienced with President Putin. What he thinks, he says in clear words. You might like it or not like it, he is not tense about it. He explains with a feeling of oneness and in a friendly manner. It is a fact that he has provided excellent leadership to Russia over the years," he added.
Russia has been historically an important technology partner of India, the Prime Minister said, adding that Indians will never forget the Russian support that 'they got when needed it the most'.
"I see positive signs of further growth owing to complementarities of both the countries. The strengths of Russia in science and technology, military technology and nuclear energy to name a few, complement the large market of India, expanding economy and demand of its young population. This provides us with the confidence that we can take forward our existing dynamic partnership," he said.
During his 2-day stay in Russia, the Prime Minister will attend the 16th India-Russia annual summit meeting. A number of bilateral agreements are expected to be signed, with trade being a major focus area.
Modi will also visit the Russian Emercom agency, a centre for national disaster management forces, where he will be briefed on the real-time monitoring of civil emergencies.
There will also be an interaction between Modi and Russian businesspersons to invite them to invest in India. He will also attend a 'Friends of India' programme.
