The two men have known each other since 2001, and Modi pointed out in an interview with Russian state media ahead of the summit that he and Putin enjoy a special relationship.
“Our relationship has special chemistry, special ease,” Modi told the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper. “With each meeting with President Putin, we get closer and our relationship grows.”
Modi pointed out that mutual ties also extend to nature, as every year “Siberian cranes migrate to my home state Gujarat”. And the Indian leader said he planned to discuss tiger conservation with Putin, a lover of big cats.
▲‘Our relationship has special chemistry’: PM Modi on ties with Putin (via Hindustan Times)
图 via Reuters
此外,莫迪还向媒体吹嘘,他跟普京有不少共同点,对老虎保护充满热情只是一方面。
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a passion for protecting tigers is among many things he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have in common.
印度总理莫迪说,他和俄罗斯总统普京有许多共同之处,其中之一就是对于老虎保护事业的热情。
Modi said that he and Putin are kindred spirits of sorts, given their love of the outdoors and nature. “I know that he is a physically very developed person, he leads an active lifestyle, keeps himself in shape. I love it,” he told reporters on Tuesday, right before heading off for a trip to Russia.
“He is also interested in the environment, wildlife, the underwater world, especially interested in the problem of conservation of tigers and so on. I’m the same by nature. Therefore, it is natural that many things connect us.”
The bond reflects traditionally friendly relations between Russia and India, Modi said, adding that “we do not have a common border, but our souls are similar.”
Russia and India are part of the BRICS group of major emerging economies -- alongside Brazil, China and South Africa -- and Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said “increasing mutual investments” and “energy cooperation” would be high on the agenda.
Trade between the two countries amounted to approximately $11 billion in 2018.
2018年,俄罗斯和印度两国间的贸易额约为110亿美元。
Moscow and Delhi are also looking at “opportunities to explore hydrocarbons on the continental shelf in the Arctic and the Russian Far East” together, Ushakov said.
乌沙科夫说,莫斯科和德里还在共同寻找“在北极大陆架和俄罗斯远东地区勘探碳氢化合物的机会”。
▲‘Our relationship has special chemistry’: PM Modi on ties with Putin (via Hindustan Times)