THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday inaugurated the 10-month celebrations organised by the Russian House in Thiruvananthapuram to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Russia on Saturday. Tharoor stressed the need for strengthening diplomatic relations between the two nations to create a peaceful world.
“Indo-Russian relation is unique. Despite changes in the geopolitical situation, it remains unchanged. The basic reason is that the relationship between the two countries is rooted centuries back. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union,"
"we thought the friendly relations would decline. But Russia, being a longstanding friend, continued to support India’s economic development and security. Our special and privileged strategic partnership is significant despite new allies among nations,” added Tharoor.
Dr G Gopakumar, the former vice-chancellor of the Central University of Kerala, delivered the keynote address. He mentioned the Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Co-operation, and Declaration of Strategic Partnership between India and the USSR were milestones in India and Russia’s diplomatic ties.
“Leaders of the two countries meet every year and sign important agreements that strengthened our cooperation in different areas,” he said. The former registrar of the Public Policy Research Institute P S Sreekumar, Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation, and Director of the Russian House in Thiruvananthapuram Ratheesh C Nair also attended the event. As part of the anniversary celebrations, a series of seminars, exhibitions, and discussions would be held soon.