Vladivostok (Russia) (AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday received Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Vladivostok, Russia's Far East, for talks dominated by a desire to boost trade and boost investment between the two countries.

Organized as part of the Eastern Economic Forum, a big business rally that Russia holds for the fifth consecutive year in an attempt to develop its vast Far East, the meeting is an opportunity for the Kremlin to confirm that it can find business partners beyond Western countries, with whom relations are always at their lowest.

On the agenda, "increased mutual investment" and "cooperation in the energy field" will be given priority, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters, while trade between the two countries reached only $ 11 billion in 2018.

"Indian investment in the Russian Far East will be the main topic of this meeting," Alexei Kuprianov, an analyst at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) in Moscow, told AFP. it is no coincidence that Modi was invited to this Forum ".

A pavilion dedicated to India and aimed at attracting Indian investment in the Far East and Russian in the Indian economy also opened in the framework of the Forum.

Before their talks, MM. Modi and Putin visited the shipyard Zvezda, where warships and gigantic tankers are built.

Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin have known each other for a long time and appreciate each other, as the Indian Prime Minister has pointed out in an interview with two Russian government media, the TASS agency and the daily Rossiskaïa Gazeta, on the eve of Forum.

"We sit together and we talk, we walk and we talk, there is a special chemistry, a special lightness in our relations," he said, assuring that Vladimir Putin and he are "close friends".

According to Modi, the environment and the protection of tigers will also be on the agenda, a theme that "interests" Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said.

- Weapons and helicopters -

Close to Soviet times, Moscow and New Delhi have undertaken in recent years to revitalize a relationship that had been stretched for 25 years, but their collaboration is still essentially military.

On this point, Russia hopes to finalize a contract for the delivery to India of Ka-226T helicopters, powered by French Safran, of which 60 are expected to be manufactured in Russia and 140 in India by an Indian joint venture. Russian.

This contract between the Russian company Russian Helicopters and the Indian army was expected in 2018 but still trailing while it is estimated at nearly a billion dollars.

"The technical negotiations are over", but the two sides have yet to agree on prices, said Russian Helicopters CEO Andrei Boguinski in Vladivostok, adding that the deal should be finalized "on the ground Indian".

A Ka-226T helicopter, decorated with "Make in India" panels - a call to "our Indian partners", according to Mr. Boguinski, should be presented to Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin in the evening, during an excursion organized for them in the pavilions of the Eastern Economic Forum.

Among the largest arms buyers on the planet, India is a crucial partner for Russia, whose defense sector seeks to maintain its position as second largest seller in the world, despite the sanctions against it since the Ukrainian crisis. 2014.

The Indian army is currently engaged in a vast effort to modernize its armaments, the latter being often obsolete and insufficient to cope with geopolitical changes in the region.

Last October, India and Russia signed New Delhi's $ 5.2 billion S-400 air defense system for Vladimir Putin's visit to the country. Deliveries are to be made by 2023, according to Russian and Indian officials.

This transaction came despite US warnings that this exposed India to economic sanctions. US law sanctions the purchase of Russian weapons by any country or entity, with the aim of punishing Moscow for its attitude in Ukraine and its alleged interference in the US presidential election.

© 2019 AFP