Thank you, and it's a great pleasure to meet you again. And it's always good to be in Moscow.
So, I agree with you that our relationship has been very strong, very steady, and I think we have lived up to the responsibilities of a special and privileged strategic partnership.
I'm told this year we have already met six times, I believe. I learned this is our seventh meeting, part of it is of course the G20, the SCO, the ASEAN, BRICS formats have today allowed many more and many regular contacts. And our leaders, Prime Minister Modi and President Putin, have also been in frequent contact.
We have seen different expressions of our cooperation this year, some of which you have noted. I would also mention our presence at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, at the Far Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok at the meetings. And on the bilateral economic cooperation, the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission, which I co-chaired with Deputy PM Manturov; we have been meeting, I met him yesterday.
We are very glad to see continued progress. We expect a strong Russian participation at the Vibrant Gujarat meeting in January, including a lot of Governors from the far East.
So today, I think our meeting, we will focus on bilateral cooperation in different spheres, adjusting it to changing circumstances and demands. We will discuss the international strategic situation, conflicts and tensions where they are. Also, focus on development challenges that the Global South faces. And of course, the state of multilateralism and the building of a multi-polar world order. Look forward to our discussions.
Once again, thank you for a warm welcome and for your hospitality.