New Delhi, Jul 8 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday embarked on a two-day visit to Russia, for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. During the trip, PM Modi and his Russian counterpart are likely to discuss and assess multifaceted relations between the two nations and also exchange views on issues of regional and global concern.

Among the slew of programmes, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to host a dinner for PM Modi while the latter is slated to address the Indian community during the two-day visit.

PM Modi-Vladimir Putin meeting will see the world media including the Chinese, zeroing in on the high-profile meeting that is bound to have a wide geo-political impact in the region.

Meanwhile, an old photo of PM Modi and President Putin has surfaced on social media. The viral photo is from the meeting that happened when Narendra Modi was Gujarat CM and accompanied the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Moscow for the India-Russia Summit in 2021.

Modi Archive, the popular X account sharing the photograph of the two leaders, said that the longstanding relationship between India and Russia has deep historical roots, which got strengthened over a period of time and also mentioned a specific incident on how the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s initiative led to solidification of ties.

“During this (2001) visit, CM Modi signed a protocol pact for cooperation between his state Gujarat and the Russian province Astrakhan in which both states agreed to work together in the fields of petro and hydrocarbon sectors, trade, science and technology, education, tourism and culture. In the following years, these ties were strengthened through several visits,” the Modi Archive said.

It further informs that the Gujarat CM visited Russia’s Astrakhan in 2006 again and met with Governor Alexander Zhilkin, and the protocol pact for cooperation was extended for another five years.

In 2009, he was invited to address the 4th International Energy Week and deliver a keynote at the 9th Russian Oil and Gas Week conference. The then CM Modi stumped the Russian businessmen by giving the presentation in Russian language.

In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled his vivid memories of his 2001 visit to Russia and remarked that it was his first meeting with President Vladimir Putin. He had stated that despite coming from a small state and relatively new to the international stage, President Putin treated him with great respect, which opened the doors to a lasting friendship.