Both leaders give priority to expansion of trade

Russia and India can meet the target of reaching $30 bln worth of bilateral trade earlier than expected, President Vladimir Putin said following the talks with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

According to president, both leaders give priority to expansion of trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. "We set the task of boosting trade turnover to $30 bln by 2025 and mutual investments to $15 bln some time ago. In this regard, we were satisfied to note that last year mutual trade turnover went up by 21% exceeding $9 bln, and gained another 20% in seven months of this year. If we continue at this pace, we will not meet, but reach the targets earlier than expected and go ahead," he said.

The talks in New Delhi focused on the whole range of issues of bilateral cooperation, as well as relevant problems of the global and regional agenda, Putin said.

"As a result, a joint statement was adopted, which reflects almost all aspects of the Russian-Indian cooperation and includes ambitious long-term plans. The set of interdepartmental and corporate documents that was just signed, has been prepared for the visit and is aimed at the long-term expansion of bilateral ties in various areas," he noted.