History made, says Zelensky after PM Modi's landmark Kyiv visit

Kyiv, Aug 23 (IANS) Declaring that history was made on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that India supports his country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Today, history was made. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi made his first visit to Ukraine since our country's independence, on the eve of our Independence Day. Today, we reached an agreement on four documents between Ukraine and India, covering the medical field, agricultural cooperation, humanitarian relations, and culture," said Zelensky after the end of diplomatic engagements with PM Modi.

"Following the visit, we also agreed on a joint statement focusing on the development of a strategic partnership, bilateral trade, and continued military-technical cooperation. India supports Ukraine's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. And this is critical because everyone in the world must equally respect the UN Charter," Zelensky added in a post on X.

During his talks with Zelensky, PM Modi reaffirmed India's principled position and commitment to a peaceful settlement to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. He also reiterated India's readiness to contribute in "all possible ways" to facilitate the speedy return of peace in the region.

"My visit to Ukraine was historic. I came to this great nation with the aim of deepening India-Ukraine friendship. I had productive talks with President Zelensky. India firmly believes that peace must always prevail. I thank the Government and people of Ukraine for their hospitality," said PM Modi after the bilateral discussions in Kyiv.

Prime Minister Modi also thanked Zelensky and the Ukrainian authorities for the help and support they provided in the safe evacuation of Indian students from the warzone a few weeks after the conflict began in February 2022.

The Joint statement issued after the one-on-one and delegation-level talks mentioned that both leaders emphasised the need for "sincere and practical engagement" between all parties to develop innovative solutions that would be widely accepted and contribute to the speedy restoration of peace.

It also stated that both leaders have expressed mutual interest in working on upgrading bilateral relations from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership in the future.

The two sides recognised pharmaceutical cooperation as one of the strongest pillars of the partnership with the two leaders reaffirming the desirability of greater access to markets and the promotion of investment and joint ventures, including through testing, inspection and registration procedures.

"Both parties expressed their desire to expand cooperation in the field of medicines and pharmaceuticals, in particular in the field of education and exchange of best practices. They welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the State Service of Medicines and Drug Control of Ukraine and the Central Organization for the Control of Medicines Standards of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India," the Joint Statement detailed.

As the two leaders shared perspectives on enhancing India-Ukraine cooperation in sectors such as economy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and technology, PM Modi handed over indigenously developed BHISHM Cubes that contain essential medicines and equipment designed to provide medical care for emergency situations, to President Zelensky.

--IANS

as/