New Delhi: External affairs minister S. Jaishankar met Russian deputy prime minister Yury Trutnev on Wednesday and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vladivostok in early September this year for the Eastern Economic Forum later this year.

Mr Jaishankar’s meeting with Mr Trutnev comes days after Prime Minister Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek, where the two leaders reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the strategic relationship.

Mr Trutnev, who led a high-level delegation to India for a visit from June 15-19, also held meetings with national security adviser Ajit Doval and minister of petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan.

In a statement, the Indian government said, “The visit was undertaken to help both sides prepare grounds for the visit of Prime Minister (Modi) to Vladivostok in early September to participate in the 5th edition of the Eastern Economic Forum as the chief guest of the event. The visit also provided opportunity to explore bilateral cooperation in the sectors of diamond-processing, petroleum and natural gas, coal and mining, agro-processing and tourism, identified as the priority areas for development in the Russian Far East. Both sides agreed to to promote their bilateral economic engagement.”