SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER AT BANQUET
HOSTED BY PRESIDENT
PUTIN
The Prime Minister
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s speech at the Banquet hosted by the
Russian President Vladimir Putin, at Moscow yesterday.
Following is
the full text of the Prime Minister’s speech on the occasion:
"I thank
you Mr. President for your kind words of welcome. My delegation
and I deeply appreciate the warmth and generosity of our Russian
hosts.
It is an immense
pleasure to be here again in this capital city of Russia.
I cherish the memories
of my earlier visits to Russia, including the most recent one
to St Petersburg for its historic 300th anniversary
celebrations.
Today we had
our 4th meeting in the past 12 months. This reflects
the vibrancy of the India-Russia strategic partnership.
Our close relationship
originated in a different global era, whose unique strategic assumptions
were based on equations of the Cold War. Emergence from the Cold
War prompted different kinds of political adjustments and economic
transformations in both our countries.
Through these turbulent
events, there was an almost seamless continuity in the India-Russia
partnership. This is an eloquent testimony to the bonds of geography,
history, tradition and culture, which invest our relationship
with a unique enduring quality.
Today, our shared
commitment to democracy, pluralism and multilateralism is another
important dimension of our bilateral relationship and global responsibilities.
In our meetings
today, we have agreed on the contours of future development of
the traditional sectors of our cooperation.
These include military technical
cooperation, space, nuclear energy, science & technology,
among others. We have reinforced our decisions with bilateral
documents, which commit our two sides to concrete time-bound actions.
We have also agreed
that we will give our links in trade and investment a more contemporary
focus. As two large and modernising economies, India and Russia
have complementary interests in the emerging global economic order.
We should maximize the mutual benefit from our industrial and
technological synergies.
India’s investment
in the Sakhalin oilfield and Russia’s assistance for our Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Plant herald significant breakthroughs in our energy
cooperation.
We can diversify
into midstream and downstream projects in all segments of the
energy sector.
We have other new
opportunities in information and communication technologies, biotechnology,
electronics, banking and financial services. Our energetic pursuit
of these opportunities will secure the economic underpinning to
our political understanding, strategic convergences and defence
cooperation.
You have personally
taken the initiative at various international forums to focus
the world’s attention on new global challenges and threats and
to seek cooperative ways to tackle them. We are with you in this
endeavour.
India and Russia
have collaborated closely in recent years for peace, security,
democracy and tolerance in our common neighbourhood. This work
is still unfinished.
We share your perspectives
about countering terrorism with a firm conviction and joint determination.
We have to break the nexus between terrorism, weapons of mass
destruction and drug trafficking.
We agree on the need
to restore credible multilateralism in the conduct of inter-State
relations. The United Nations needs to salvage its prestige to
again become a forum for genuine consensus building and collective
decision-making. Its structures need to be reformed and renovated.
These are not
easy challenges. They require painstaking effort, resilience and
courage. These are qualities which both Russia and India have
displayed in abundant measure in their nation-building efforts.
As your legendary
author, Fyodor Tyutchev, wrote:
"I love thundershowers
in the spring….
All things echo
thunder’s heavenly joy!"
India and Russia
need this indomitable spirit of cheerful determination in their
joint efforts to tackle the modern-day challenges to global peace
and security.
I invite you to join me in a
toast to:
- The health and happiness of His
Excellency President Putin;
- The further prosperity and progress
of the Russian people; and
- The strength and vitality of the
strategic partnership between India and Russia."