Russian President Vladimir Putin applauded PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, saying that his country can learn from the success stories of its allies like India in promoting the growth of its domestic businesses.
On Tuesday, Putin made these remarks while addressing the Plenary session of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, a major port city in Russia’s Far East region.
Putin on Modi’s Initiative
Putin, while addressing a query on Russian-manufactured vehicles, stated that domestically manufactured automobiles should be used, and countries, such as India, have already set examples through their policies.
In 2014, Modi announced the ‘Make in India’ initiative to encourage investment, boost innovation, improve skill development, safeguard intellectual property, and construct world-class manufacturing infrastructure.
“I think that we should learn from many of our partners like India. They are mostly focusing on production and use of the cars and vessels produced in India,” Putin asserted.
The Russian president stated, “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 programme. He is right.”
Putin emphasised that it is absolutely fine to use Russian-made automobiles. “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.” He added, “We must create a certain chain regarding what cars different classes of officials can drive so that they will use domestically-made cars.”
Additionally, Putin said buying Russian-made cars would be easier since “logistics are streamlined.”
Putin on IMEC Project
Putin also stated that the ‘India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor’ (IMEC) would benefit Russia rather than affect it. “I think it’s for our good; it will help us develop logistics,” he said in response to a question on how the IMEC plan will affect the implementation of Russia’s and China’s projects and what it means for Russia in general.
The Russian President added, “the additional traffic of goods along this corridor will be, in fact, an addition to our North–South project. We do not see anything here that could harm us in any way.”
In response to the US participation in the IMEC project, Putin commented, “Truth be told, the Americans joined it at the last minute. But I do not really see why they would want to be part of it, except maybe in terms of some business interest.”
The IMEC was launched during the G20 Summit in New Delhi. On the margins of the summit in New Delhi on Saturday, the leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, France, Germany, Italy, and the EU officially introduced the ambitious project.
Putin Applauds PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ Initiative at Eastern Economic Forum
Putin stated that domestically manufactured automobiles should be used, and countries, such as India, have already set examples through their policies.
September 13, 2023
IMAGE SOURCE: APRussian President Vladimir Putin receives Indian PM Narendra Modi at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, in May 2018.