New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to notify him that he would not be able to make it to next month's G20 Summit in India and that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would be representing Russia instead, according to Modi's office.
An official statement from the PMO said that during their phone discussion, the two presidents discussed regional and global matters of common interest, including the recently ended BRICS Summit in Johannesburg.
The Russian president informed organisers of the G20 summit that he would be unable to make it to New Delhi on September 9-10. In a statement released by the PMO, Modi expressed his appreciation to Putin for Russia's "consistent support of all initiatives under India's G20 Presidency" while also expressing his understanding of Russia's choice.
According to the statement, the two leaders have decided to keep in touch.—Inputs from Agencies