President Vladimir Putin heaped praise on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called him a "great friend of Russia" while also lauding his "Make in India" initiative during an event in Moscow on Thursday.

Putin expressed his admiration during a forum organized by Russia's Agency for Strategic Initiatives in Moscow, as reported by the Russian television network RT.

"Our friends in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a great friend of Russia, a few years ago presented a concept 'Make in India' and it had a very visible effect on the Indian economy. It would do no harm to emulate what is working well, even if it was not us but our friends who created it," Putin said while speaking at the event in Moscow.

Drawing the example of Make in India, Putin called for the creation of an economy that produces its own modern goods, services, and technology instead of consuming foreign, imported products.

 “Of course, we need to think about making our products more convenient and functional, with a modern look and properties. Therefore, industrial and product design should become an important resource for the development of domestic business," he added.

Putin emphasized the significance of enhancing product convenience, functionality, modernity, and design, considering industrial and product design as valuable assets for domestic business development, as reported by RT.

The Russian president's appreciation comes a day after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said it would be a "mistake" to downplay the significance of India-Russia relations.

“Our relations with Russia have been kept steady despite all turbulence. We have made our own evaluation over the years regarding the importance of this. It is a mistake to dumb down ties with Russia to just defense dependences,” Jaishankar said.

In his discussion of India's connections with Russia, he said that India's economic ties with Russia are improving. Notably, Indian refiners are already buying crude at steep discounts quickly.

Launched globally in September 2014, the 'Make in India' initiative aims to position India as a preferred global manufacturing destination. The objective is to integrate India into the global supply chain and empower Indian companies to excel in a globalized workspace.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that the initiative encompasses measures to improve the ease of doing business, driving India's economic growth.

Image source: Twitter