New Delhi, 7 Oct

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin on his birthday even as the two leaders vowed to further deepen India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership.

Modi dialled Putin and warmly congratulated him on his 73rd birthday and conveyed best wishes for good health and success, according to an Indian readout.

It was the fourth phone call between the two leaders since early August.

Putin had also called up Modi on 17 September to greet him on his birthday.

"The two leaders reviewed the progress in the bilateral agenda, and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia," the readout said.

It said Modi conveyed that he looks forward to welcoming Putin to India for the 23rd India-Russia annual summit.

The Russian president is expected to visit India around 5 December to hold annual summit talks with Modi.

The summit is expected to produce significant outcomes to further solidify bilateral strategic ties.

While preparations are underway for the high-profile visit, it is not yet clear whether the Russian president will come for a day-long trip or he will be in India for two days.

Ahead of Putin's trip, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to India next month to finalise the finer details of the presidential visit.

The Russian president had last visited New Delhi in 2021.

The two sides are also expected to hold a meeting under the framework of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) before Putin's trip, people familiar with the matter said.

At the India-Russia annual summit, Modi and Putin are expected to deliberate on further expanding the "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" between the two countries, they said.

India and Russia have a mechanism under which India's prime minister and the Russian president hold a summit meeting annually to review the entire gamut of ties.

So far 22 annual summit meetings have taken place alternatively in India and Russia.

In July last year, Modi travelled to Moscow for the annual summit.

Russia has been a time-tested partner for India and the country has been a key pillar of New Delhi's foreign policy.