His congratulatory address included the following words:
“Your name has an eternal place in the global history of the conquest of outer space. Starting with your flight on board the “Soyuz T-11” in 1984, which was the first time an Indian citizen manned a space mission, India has made spectacular progress and now holds a respected place among the space powers. Today our countries are cooperating closely on space exploration, and plan new joint piloted projects to explore the moon and the solar system. I am sure that this kind of fruitful collaboration will serve the long-term interests of the development of the economic, scientific, and technical potential of both Russia and India, as we gradually broaden our bilateral partnership.”