Modi dials Prez Putin, conveys birthday greetings

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 September 17 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 December 5 to hold annual summit talks with Modi. 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 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.