Moscow, Dec 22: Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was earlier scheduled to visit India in late 2020, may visit the country during the first six months of the next year, said Russia's ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev.

 

 

"It became more difficult to maintain contacts due to the pandemic. It has affected the frequency of face-to-face meetings, but the Russian-Indian political and economic dialogue has not become less intense. Summits are the highest point of the dialogue. The summit was due to be held in October. There have been large-scale preparations, but it has been decided by mutual agreement to postpone the meeting until the next year. When will the meeting take place? The sooner the better. I hope we will receive the Russian president in India in the first half of the coming year," a Russian-based media quoted Kudashev as saying.

 

Kudashev further said that the bilateral ties would be strengthened more for military cooperation between the two nations during early 2021. The Russian envoy also informed that a free trade deal may be signed next year between India and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which comprises countries like Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

 

"If we talk about which documents and agreements were decisive for the trade and economic agenda and which agreements and documents need to be formalized next year, then I would probably mention the following -- well, first of all, there is an interesting agreement on formalizing a deal on a free trade zone between India and the EAEU ... Several rounds of technical negotiations took place," said the ambassador.

 

Kudashev also said that Moscow and New Delhi may sign several bilateral agreements in 2021 that includes a deal on protecting and promoting investment while adding that the two countries also plan to update the current deal on avoiding double taxation.

 

Regarding the Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19 along with New Delhi, he said Moscow will jointly produce and manufactured by Indian pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories. "We are working very hard to fight COVID-19 together with India, and are now advancing to jointly produce Sputnik V vaccine at the capacities of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories to be used in India, Russia and other countries," Kudashev said, addressing a press conference.

 

"We have supported each other in a big way earlier this year when we managed to repatriate thousands of Russian and Indian nationals to their respective home countries," he added. On August 11, Russia became the world's first country to register a coronavirus vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V.