India and Russia stood the test of time: PM Modi at 6th Eastern Economic Forum

Modi made the comment while delivering his virtual address to the sixth Eastern Economic Forum.

The Prime Minister said, "The friendship between India and Russia has stood the test of time. Most recently it was seen in our robust cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic including in the area of vaccines.

"The pandemic has highlighted the importance of the health and pharma sectors in our bilateral cooperation. Energy is another major pillar of our strategic partnership. India - Russia energy partnership can help bring stability to the global energy market."

Russia's anti-COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, is one of the vaccines approved by the Indian government.

Applauding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "vision for the development of the Russian Far East", Modi reiterated India’s commitment as part of its "Act East Policy" of being a reliable partner of Russia in this regard. He underlined the natural complementarities of India and Russia in the development of the Russian Far East.

The Prime Minister stressed on the importance of greater economic and commercial engagement between the two sides in line with the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’.

He highlighted the importance of health and pharma sectors as important areas of cooperation that have emerged during the pandemic. He also referred to other potential areas of economic cooperation including diamond, coking coal, steel, timber etc.

Stressing on the cooperation between the two nations, Modi said, "India has a talented and dedicated workforce, while the Far- East is rich in resources. So there is a tremendous scope for the Indian workforce to contribute to the development of the Russian Far- East."

"The Far Eastern Federal University which is where this forum is being held is home to a growing number of students from India," he added.