Russia, India sign defense, energy agreements

Russia and India have voiced staunch support for Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a joint statement after talks in Moscow.

In the presence of visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reliance Defence Limited of India and Russian weapons maker Almaz-Antey signed a manufacturing and maintenance deal worth United States dollars 6 billion.

Affirming that their cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy is a cornerstone of the Russia-India strategic partnership, the two leaders appreciated the progress made in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project and agreed to expedite the implementation of ongoing and upcoming projects there.

India could be in the market for as many as five systems, the paper’s sources in the defence sphere said, with deals on Russian frigates and a helicopter-building joint venture also on the table.

Earlier in the day, Modi visited Russia’s National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC), also known as EMERCOM, where he was given a rundown on how it works.

The prime minister said he and the Russian president were “moving creatively in expanding our economic relations”.

Modi and Putin had spent over two and a half hours in conversation last night over dinner, Jaishankar said, primarily discussing “global issues of concern”.

Putin assured Modi of Moscow’s continuous help to build more nuclear power plants in India. “We are developing parliamentary ties and our Intergovernmental Commission is working actively”, said President Putin.

Dipankar Banerjee, a defence analyst at Delhi-based think tank Forum for Strategic Initiatives, said India was “vulnerable to Pakistan and China both in terms of missile attacks and air strikes” and that the S-400 systems were “very desirable” despite a hefty price tag. “This was a great tragedy and the entire people of India were with Russian Federation during these hard moments”, he said.

Modi also said that the world must unite to fight terrorism without distinguishing between terror groups.

Russian Federation has and will dependably be an essential and long haul accomplice in vitality and mineral assets, as well as in front line advancements, Modi said, including that the nature has predetermined us to cooperate.

“I want to express my condolences in connection with incidents that have recently occurred in Egypt and Turkey, which killed a Russian pilot and innocent Russian citizens”, Modi told Putin, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin.

I had the privilege and the opportunity to welcome you in India a year ago, when you visited us.