Russian parliament speaker arrives in India to boost economic ties

Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the Lower House of the Russian Parliament, arrived in India on Monday on an official visit. His discussions with the Indian leadership will focus on improving cooperation in economic, cultural, educational and technical fields as well as strengthening inter-parliamentary dialogue between the two countries.

The Russian Embassy in India shared pictures of his arrival on X, writing, "State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin arrived on an official visit to #भारत. In #नई Delhi, issues of #रूस-India cooperation in economic, cultural, educational and technological spheres as well as the development of inter-parliamentary dialogue will be discussed. "

In the second post, the embassy said that "meetings of the Speaker with the Indian leadership and visit to both Houses of the #भारत Parliament have been planned." Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to visit India later this year for the annual summit. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing last month that the dates for the visit would be decided through diplomatic channels. The last annual summit was held in Moscow for which Prime Minister Modi had gone to Moscow. The next summit is scheduled to be held in India next year, and the dates for it will be decided through diplomatic channels.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on December 2 that President Putin has received an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit India and the dates of his visit will be decided in early 2025. Addressing the briefing, Ushakov said that there is an agreement between Putin and PM Modi to meet once a year and this time it is Russia's turn.