Friends forever

President Vladimir Putin has called Prime Minister Narendra Modi “a big friend” of Russia and said his ‘Make in India’ campaign has had a “truly impressive effect” on the country’s economy. Putin made these remarks at a forum in Moscow organised by Russia’s Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI). “Our friends in India and our big friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched the ‘Make in India’ initiative several years ago. It has had a truly impressive effect on the Indian economy. It would do no harm to emulate what is working well, even if it was not us but our friends who created it,” the president was quoted as saying by the RT News. Putin made a case for India as he discussed the opportunities for Russian companies due to the West’s sanctions policies, and the need for Moscow to “offer support tools to help our companies market their products more efficiently”. Crediting Indian leadership for creating an effective model to develop local manufacturing capabilities and woo foreign investors, Putin emphasised the need to think about “making our products more convenient and functional, with a modern look and properties”, the report added. Industrial and product design should become an important resource for the development of domestic business, Putin said. This was one of the major public appearances of President Putin, days after a Russian mercenary group la