Russia is India’s reliable friend; Russians call it ‘druzhba’, we call it ‘dosti’: Modi in Moscow

India and Russia have a unique relationship that goes back many decades and ties between the two countries have emerged stronger after every test, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Speaking at an interaction with the Indian diaspora in Moscow, Modi announced that India will open new consulates in the Russian cities of Kazan and Yekaterinburg to facilitate trade and travel. This will take the number of consulates in Russia to four, the others being in St Petersburg and Vladivostok.

Modi, who was speaking ahead of a summit with President Vladimir Putin, played up India’s role as a “vishwabandhu” (friend of the world) and said, without directly referring to the conflict in Ukraine, that the whole world listens when the country talks about peace, dialogue and diplomacy.

India and Russia are “walking shoulder to shoulder” and the Indian diaspora’s hard work, honesty and contributions to Russian society has taken bilateral ties to new heights, Modi said, speaking in Hindi. After decades of a unique relationship, the first words that come to an Indian’s mind on hearing the name of Russia are a “companion in happiness and sorrow”, he said.

“Russia is India’s reliable friend, Russians call it ‘druzhba’, we call it ‘dosti’ in Hindi,” Modi said, adding that no matter how low the temperature dips during a Russian winter, India-Russia relations have always remained warm because they are based mutual trust and mutual respect.

The bilateral ties have been tested several times and have always emerged stronger, he said, hailing the role of Putin’s leadership in strengthening the friendship between the two sides for more than two decades. Modi noted this was the sixth time he was visiting Russia in a decade, and he had met Putin 17 times during the same period. “All the meetings increased trust and respect,” he said.

When Indian students were caught up in the war in Ukraine, Putin had helped in getting them back to India, Modi said. For this, he again conveyed his gratitude to the people of Russia and “my friend Putin”.

Modi cited the lyrics “Sar pe lal topi Russi, phir bhi dil hai Hindustani” (I wear a red Russian cap but my heart is Hindustani) of a song from Raj Kapoor’s hit film ‘Shree 420’ and said they express “evergreen sentiments”.

Pointing to the India House established in the 17th century at Astrakhan, where Gujarat traders had settled, Modi highlighted the importance of new connectivity initiatives such as the International North-South Trade Corridor and the Chennai- Vladivostok eastern maritime corridor. The Ganga-Volga dialogue of civilisations, he said, is helping the two sides “rediscover each other”.

Modi contended that experts around the world now believe the “21st century will be India’s century”, something that he had said during a 2015 visit to Russia. “India is giving the world new confidence, India’s growing capabilities have given the world expectations of stability and prosperity,” he said.

“India is seen in the new emerging muti-polar world order as a strong pillar. Whenever there is any crisis in the world, India is among the first countries to reach out. India will leave no stone unturned to achieve the world’s expectations,” he added.

“For a long time, the world has seen an influence-oriented global order. Today’s world needs confluence, not influence. Which country can better understand this message than a country that values confluence,” Modi said.

Modi, who was clad in a white kurta with a scarf from Odisha around his neck, further noted that the event in Moscow was being held exactly a month after he was sworn in for his third term as prime minister. “At the time, I pledged to work with three times the strength and speed,” he said.

The number three also figures in several objectives of the government, he said, such as making India the third largest economy, building 30 million houses for the poor, and empowering 30 million women in rural areas through women’s self-help so that they have a yearly income of more than ₹100,000.

He also highlighted other achievements of his government, such as sending the Chandrayaan spacecraft to a part of the moon that other countries hadn’t reached, developing the most reliable model of digital transactions and sharing it with the world, and building the world’s third largest start-up eco-system.

“The speed of India’s progress in the last 10 years has left the world amazed. Foreigners come to India and say the country is changing,” he said.