India, Russia to ink two major agreements on Defence Cooperation
	12:47 IST

Two major agreements to boost Defence Cooperation between India and Russia are likely to be signed during the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Moscow later this year. Decks for the signing of the two agreements were cleared today during the ongoing visit of Defence Minister Shri AK Antony to Moscow. The first agreement will be on extending the Military Technical Cooperation for ten years from 2011 to 2020 and the second relates to After- Sales Product Support for Defence Equipment of Russian origin. The outlines for the two agreements were hammered out during the 9th Meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) which concluded in Moscow today. The two-day meeting was presided over by Shri Antony and his Russian counterpart Mr. Anatoly Serdyukov. The meeting reviewed the status of various ongoing bilateral defence cooperation projects. The Commission also reviewed the status of two major projects for joint design and development of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) and the Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MRTA). Both the Defence Ministers expressed the hope that the recent rounds of consultations between technical experts on both sides would result in greater progress in these projects. The Russian side assured of continuing technical support and technology transfer in accordance with the agreed schedules for the indigenous production of T-90-S tanks and SU-30MKI fighter jets in India. Shri Antony stressed the need to ensure that there were no slippages in these projects. On the sale of the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, both sides agreed that the cost negotiations would continue to find a mutually acceptable solution. Issues relating to defence supplies in a number of other projects were also reviewed in detail by the Commission. The Russian side responded positively to India’s request to expedite proposals for setting up facilities for modernisation, repair and overhaul of military aircraft including MiG-29-Upgrade in India. In his opening remarks to the meeting yesterday, Shri Antony said India and Russia have an enduring strategic partnership and defence ties. He described Russia as a time tested and dependable friend of India. Shri Antony emphasized that the Indian Government was determined to strengthen the bond in all areas of bilateral relations. He noted that over the years defence relations between India and Russia have evolved from a simple buyer-seller relationship to a broadbased partnership where both countries are involved in joint design, development and production of defence equipment. Taking note of the structured mechanisms for defence interactions with Russia, Shri Antony said that Russia is the only country with which India has such a well established multi-tiered mechanism which has contributed to the strengthening of bilateral ties. The Indian delegation to the two-day IRIGC-MTC meeting included the Defence Secretary Shri Pradeep Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Raj Kumar Singh and other senior officials of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces. NA/PK/RAJ