Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday with a special message. In this, he appreciated his contribution in strengthening India-Russia partnership and expressed his gratitude for the honor received during the BRICS summit.
The Kremlin has shared part of the message. Describing the PM as a respected person, he wrote, “You (PM Modi) are a highly respected person among your countrymen and globally. Your personal contribution in strengthening the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia cannot be appreciated enough.”
The Prime Minister is celebrating his 76th birthday on 17 September. Russian President Putin recently visited India for the BRICS summit held in Delhi (September 12-13). During this time he had a meeting with Narendra Modi. This is also mentioned in the message.
Praising the hospitality received in India, he further wrote, “I would like to express my gratitude for the warm and cordial welcome and hospitality extended to me and the Russian delegation during my visit to New Delhi last week.”
Describing the bilateral talks as solid and meaningful, he further said, “Our talks were undoubtedly solid, clear and meaningful. As always, it was a great pleasure to talk to you, and our discussions once again demonstrated your extraordinary political understanding and foresight. We will certainly continue our constructive cooperation on important bilateral and international issues for the benefit of our friendly countries.”
Narendra Modi is the longest serving Prime Minister of India. This is his third consecutive term as PM. Before this he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat for about 13 years. Became the CM of Gujarat in 2001 and remained the Chief Minister of Gujarat till becoming PM in 2014.