Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's speech at Banquet hosted by President Medvedev

I am deeply moved by the warmth of the welcome and generous hospitality accorded to me. I have been a regular and frequent visitor to Russia and feel enriched each time I visit this great country.

The people of India rejoice in the great successes of the Russian people. Russia is regarded as a tried and trusted friend of India, that has stood with India at every juncture of our nation-building process. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to the people and successive leaderships of Russia.

Mr. President, your own personal contribution and the attention you have given to India has been a source of great encouragement to us. Under your Presidency, we have expanded the horizons of our cooperation and opened new doors.

Today, our relations span diverse sectors ranging from defence, space and nuclear energy to exchanges in the commercial, educational and cultural fields. The underlying basis to this cooperation is the trust and goodwill among our peoples, our cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts in academia, science, tourism and businesspersons.

Next year we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the formal establishment of our diplomatic relations. We should mark this occasion by highlighting the benefits of our decades long partnership and creating greater awareness about each other among the younger generation.

The world is witnessing profound transformation and a shift in the global balance of power. At this time of transition, our relationship serves as an anchor of peace and stability.

It is essential that India and Russia work even more closely together at the international level. I am truly pleased at the manner in which our cooperation and exchanges within the United Nations, G-20 and BRICS have been progressing in recent years. We warmly welcome Russia’s participation in the East Asia Summit process. This will contribute to regional peace and prosperity.

As two large and diverse democracies, with rapidly transforming societies and economies, we must work together to ensure that the emerging international order is multipolar, based on respect for international law and equality amongst nations. India and Russia should promote a world order in which dialogue and cooperation and not conflict and confrontation are the basis for inter-state relations.

I am confident that India-Russia relations are poised to achieve even greater heights in the years to come.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I request you to join me in raising a toast:

- To the health and well being of His Excellency the President of the Russian Federation and Mrs Medvedeva;

- To the long-standing tradition of close and continuing friendship and cooperation between India and Russia; and

- To the prosperity, success and happiness of the friendly people of Russia.

Thank you.