New Delhi, March 13 -- Indian-origin Russian Deputat (akin to an MLA in India) Abhay Kumar Singh said on Thursday that India-Russia ties have evolved beyond a mere relationship and have become a tradition. He described Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "very big friends."

In an interview with ANI, Kursk Deputat Abhay Singh recalled past diplomatic ties, mentioning the friendship between former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and then-Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev, as well as Jawahar Lal Nehru and Joseph Stalin.

On being asked about India-Russia ties, Singh said, "Indo-Russian relation is not only a relation, now it has become a tradition. I think three or four generations of both countries are wa...