India should be added to list of global superpowers – Putin

At the same time, Putin said some other countries are showing rapid development as well

India must be included into the list of global superpowers, even its economy is currently growing faster than in any other country, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Thursday’s plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club.

“India should undoubtedly added to the list of superpowers, with its billion-and-a-half population, the fastest growth among all economies in the world, ancient culture and very good prospects for further growth,” the president said.

At the same time, Putin said some other countries are showing rapid development as well, and they have influence on global politics, development and the future of the humanity.

India being a great country, so Moscow is boosting it’s cooperation with India in all areas.”We are developing our ties with India in all directions. India is a great country. <…> It is a leader in terms of economic growth among large economies, with its GDP posting an annual growth of 7.4%,” said Putin.

“The volume of our cooperation is multiplying year after year,” he added.Putin recalled the Soviet Union’s role in India’s declaration of independence, which created “relations that are unique in terms of quality and degree of trust” between the two nations.

“This is a base for us to develop bilateral relations in all directions,” the Russian leader said.Bilateral trade turnover is almost $60 billion, Putin added.