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Narayanan sees Russia as
greatest friend of India: PTI

At a banquet hosted by him in honour of visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, "Terrorism, financed by drug-trafficking, has become a new source of subversion in the world. The international community should resolve itself to eradicate this scourge".

"Terrorism, sponsored from across our borders, has taken the lives of thousands of our innocent citizens,'' he said, without naming Pakistan.

Stating that the main challenge before India and Russia was economic development, to meet aspirations of the people, he said, "We also face another major challenge from forces of international terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking, organised crime and separatism".

Conveying gratitude to Russia for its "clear and consistent" support to India's candidature for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council, the President said it was necessary to reform and restructure the UN so that it reflects the realities of the world.

Declaring that India and Russia were at a new and dynamic stage of economic development, Narayanan said the process of economic reforms in both countries has opened up "bright prospects for our economies and new and expanding opportunities for our bilateral co-operation.

He said, "We need to reflect on this and take steps to diversify and enrich our many-sided economic interaction".

Describing defence co-operation as an important element of Indo-Russian relations, the President said, "Our relations in the defence field have transcended a mere buyer-seller relationship and have expanded to include joint research and development, training and service-to-service contacts".

He said a strong Russia was not only a cornerstone of a multi-polar world order, but also pivotal to India's interests and its position in the world. "For us, Russia has been a friend in need, and we see in you 'the greatest friend' of India", he said.

Indo-Russian co-operation in science and technology is "more extensive than that which either of us have with any other country," he said, adding that the marriage of Russian science and technology with the capabilities and potentialities of India could produce "spectacular and beneficient results".

On cultural ties, he said, "These are rooted in the spiritual commonalities of our civilisations".

The Putin visit: The full coverage

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