Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies in the port town of Vladivostok on Tuesday and said that he is doing the “right thing” in promoting the Make in India programme.
Putin said that domestically made automobiles must be used and India has already set examples through its policies under the leadership of PM Modi, ANI reported.
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He made this statement in response to a media query about cars that are manufactured in Russia. He emphasized that domestically made automobiles should be used.
Addressing the forum, Putin asserted, “You know, we did not have domestically made cars then, but we do now. It is true that they look more modest than Mercedes or Audi cars, which we bought in vast amounts in the 1990s, but this is not an issue. I think that we should emulate many of our partners, for example, India. They are focused on the manufacture and use of Indian-made vehicles. I think that Prime Minister Modi is doing the right thing in promoting the Make in India program. He is right.”
Putin further mentioned that it is absolutely fine to use Russian-made automobiles and said, “We have [Russian-made] automobiles, and we must use them; this is absolutely fine. This will not lead to any infringements of our WTO obligations, absolutely not. It will concern state purchases. We must create a certain chain regarding what cars different classes of officials can drive so that they will use domestically made cars,” Putin said in Vladivostok, according to a transcript of the plenary session posted on the Kremlin’s website.
“You probably know about the proposals to continue buying these cars. It would be easy to do because the logistics are streamlined,” he added.
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Furthermore, the Russian President extensively discussed his perspective on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), expressing his belief that there are no obstacles within IMEC that could impede Russia. “The project is beneficial for Russia,” he added.
The United States joined the “last car” by agreeing with the European Union, Saudi Arabia, and India on the creation of a new economic corridor, but the project itself benefits Russia, Putin said while speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
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The IMEC would assist in the development of logistics in his country, and the project has been a topic of discussion for many years, Putin said.
On Saturday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in New Delhi by India, the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union to establish the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor during the G20 Summit, on the sidelines, and his remarks came afterwards.
“I believe that this will only benefit us. I believe that this will only help us develop logistics. Firstly, this project has been discussed for a long time, for several years,” said Putin while speaking at the forum.
“True, the Americans jumped on this train at the last moment. But for them, I don’t see much point in being in this project. Only, perhaps, from the point of view of business interest. Meanwhile, the additional movement of goods along this corridor is, in fact, an addition to our North-South project. We have nothing here; we see something that could somehow hinder us,” he added.
A historic agreement was made by India, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union on Saturday (September 9), announcing the launch of a mega India-Middle East-Europe shipping and railway connectivity corridor.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled this ambitious project during the G20 Summit held in New Delhi, under India’s presidency.
This marks a groundbreaking initiative in cooperation on connectivity and infrastructure, bringing together India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the EU, France, Italy, Germany, and the US in a unique collaborative effort.
PM Modi said, “I cordially welcome you all at this event. I am very happy to co-chair this event with my friend President Joe Biden. Today we all have seen the conclusion of a historic and important agreement. In the coming days, it will be an effective medium of economic integration between India, South Asia, and Europe.”
(With inputs from ANI)