Kazan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday arrived in Kazan to attend the 16th BRICS Summit, where he is likely to hold bilateral meetings, including with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Landed in Kazan for the BRICS Summit. This is an important Summit, and the discussions here will contribute to a better planet,” Modi posted on X after landing.
“PM @narendramodi lands in the heritage city of Kazan, Russia. On arrival, PM was warmly received by the Head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov,” Ministry of External Affairs posted on X.
India values close cooperation within BRICS which has emerged as an important platform for dialogue and discussion on a range of key issues concerning global developmental agenda, Modi said in a statement before embarking on a two-day visit to Kazan, about 900 km east of Moscow.
“The expansion of BRICS with the addition of new members last year has added to its inclusivity and agenda for the global good,” he said.
Being hosted by Russia, the summit is being seen as an attempt by non-Western powers to project their clout amid the conflict in Ukraine and the escalating situation in West Asia.
After reaching his hotel, Modi was greeted by the Indian diaspora. Holding the Indian tri-colour, they chanted slogans and sang a cheerful welcome song in Sanskrit. A team of Russian artists, dressed in traditional Indian attire, presented a Russian dance as Modi watched it with keen interest.
Modi is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings, including with Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi, on the margins of the summit.
The departure statement also said that his visit to Kazan will further reinfore the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ between India and Russia coming months after Modi’s Moscow visit in July for the annual summit during which he held talks with Putin.
The prime minister visited Moscow in July during which he held summit talks with President Putin.
“Building upon the annual summit held in July 2024 in Moscow, my visit to Kazan will further reinforce the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia,” Modi said.
“I look forward to meeting other leaders from BRICS as well,” he said.
In a post on ‘X’, Modi said he was looking forward to extensive discussions on a wide range of subjects at the summit.
“As I said earlier, we believe that problems should be resolved in peaceful manner,” PM Modi was quoted as having told President Putin on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
2—Jaishankar accuses Canada of double standards amid escalating diplomatic tensions
New Delhi . External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday hit out at Canada for its “double standards” as the ties between New Delhi and Ottawa came under severe strain over the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil last year.
“Double standards is a very mild word for it,” Jaishankar said while explaining how Canada treats other diplomats and the “licence” their diplomats try to use while in India.
Last week, New Delhi expelled Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats following Ottawa’s fresh allegations of the Indian government’s involvement in Nijjar’s killing in British Columbia.
India also recalled its high commissioner and five more diplomats, who are on their way back to India. The Canadian government had said the Indian diplomats were expelled from the country.
“I think there are some very specific issues. Canada asked us to subject our high commissioner to a police inquiry and we chose to withdraw the high commissioner and diplomats,” Jaishankar said at the NDTV World Summit.
“They seem to have a problem if Indian diplomats are even trying to make efforts to find out what is happening in Canada on matters which directly pertain to their welfare and security.
“But look what happens in India. Canadian diplomats have no problem going around collecting information on our military, police, profiling people, targeting people to be stopped in Canada,” he said.
“So apparently, the licence that they give themselves is totally different from the kind of restrictions that they impose on diplomats in Canada. When we tell them you have people openly threatening leaders of India, diplomats of India, their answer is freedom of speech,” Jaishankar added.
The bilateral ties nosedived after Canada linked Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats to Nijjar’s killing.
New Delhi has strongly rejected all the allegations made by Ottawa in connection to the case relating to the killing of Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in India.
“If you threaten the Indian high commissioner, he is supposed to accept it as freedom of speech, but if an Indian journalist says the Canadian high commissioner walked out of the South Block looking very grumpy, it is apparently foreign interference,” Jaishankar said.
Asked about certain pro-Khalistani elements openly issuing threats to India’s airlines, diplomats and high commission, he said, “These threats are cleverly worded.” “They (the Canadian government) call this freedom of speech. But my question to them is — if you receive these threats, would you take them lightly?” the minister asked.
“If it was your airline being threatened, your Parliament, your diplomats…. This is exactly the kind of problem with which we started this conversation,” he said.
The external affairs minister said India is having a problem with a segment of Canadian politics.
“We are having a problem with a segment of politics in Canada,” he said.
“I think people-to-people relations, we would like to maintain. I think we need to narrow this down and define this problem for what it is,” Jaishankar added.
