PM Modi discusses counter-terror, climate change with Putin, Xi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping here and discussed key issues including counter-terrorism and climate change.

Modi, who is in Osaka, Japan for the G20 Summit, hosted the two leaders for an informal RIC (Russia-India-China) meeting here.

The three countries, in a joint communique of the 16th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China, strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

In his opening remarks here, Prime Minister Modi said that the trilateral meeting in Osaka is a useful medium of discussion and coordination on major global issues.

After a long time, the three leaders met in Argentina at the summit level last year.

"As the world's leading economies, the exchange of views between us, on the economic, political and security situation of the world, is important. Our trilateral meeting today is a useful medium of discussion and coordination on major global issues.

"During the meeting of our foreign ministers in China in February, views were discussed on many issues. These include cooperation on issues of counter-terrorism, international hot-spot, reformed multilateralism, climate change under RIC," Modi said.

"Together addressing global challenges. PM @narendramodi hosted Russian President Putin & Chinese President Xi for an informal 'RIC' meeting in Osaka. Discussed counter-terrorism, international hot-spot issues, reformed multilateralism & climate change," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

In February, China and Russia agreed for a closer policy coordination to eradicate the "breeding grounds of terrorism", in a significant gain for India in its push to isolate Pakistan internationally on the issue of terrorism post-Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad.