New Delhi, 27 October (H.S.): Vice-President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha C. P. Radhakrishnan met a Russian parliamentary delegation led by Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, on Tuesday. The discussions covered parliamentary relations, cooperation in combating terrorism, trade, cultural exchanges and other areas of mutual interest.

C.P Radhakrishnan congratulated Volodin on his re-election as Chairman of the State Duma and extended his best wishes for the successful conduct of elections to the ninth convocation of the Russian lower house in September 2026.

Highlighting the strong ties between India and Russia, the Rajya Sabha Chairman expressed gratitude for Russia’s continued support for India’s efforts to combat terrorism. He emphasised that regular parliamentary dialogue played a vital role in understanding each other’s priorities, exchanging experiences and exploring new avenues of cooperation.

C.P Radhakrishnan also referred to significant recent developments in India-Russia relations, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presentation of a Russian-language edition of the Tirukkural to Russian President Vladimir Putin, underscoring the cultural dimension of the longstanding bilateral relationship.

Emphasising the importance of regular interaction between parliamentarians of the two countries,C.P Radhakrishnan referred to the visit to Russia in May 2025 by a five-member parliamentary delegation led by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. The visit took place against the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent launch of Operation Sindoor.

He also recalled the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit held during President Putin’s visit to India in December 2025, highlighting the importance of high-level engagement in advancing bilateral cooperation.

On economic ties, the Rajya Sabha Chairman expressed confidence that India and Russia would achieve their leaders’ target of increasing annual bilateral trade to USD 100 billion by 2030.

He noted that preparations were also underway to mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2027. Inter-regional cooperation, science and technology, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts were identified as important areas for further strengthening the partnership.

C.P Radhakrishnan reiterated India’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of the people of both countries.

Those present at the meeting included Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh; Members of Parliament Raghav Chadha, Dr. K. Laxman, Sujeet Kumar, Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi, Dr. Laxmikant Bajpayee, Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agrawal and Sanjay Kumar Jha.

Rajya Sabha Secretary-General P. C. Mody, Secretary in the Vice-President’s Secretariat Amit Khare and Secretary K. S. Somashekhar were also present.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar