The Hindu : Front Page : India for expanding defence ties with Russia: Antony

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Thursday, Oct 18, 2007
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India for expanding defence ties with Russia: Antony

Vladimir Radyuhin

‘It is the only country with which we have elaborate institutionalised arrangements’

— Photo: PTI/Shahbaz Khan

Defence Minister A. K. Antony at the tomb of unknown soldiers in Moscow on Wednesday.

MOSCOW: India is committed to further upgrading and expanding defence ties with Russia, but is concerned over delays in Russian supplies and problems in product support, according to Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

Speaking at the opening of the 7th session of the Indo-Russian Inter-governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation here on Wednesday, Mr. Antony, who co-chairs the IGC for India, voiced confidence that defence ties between the two countries “would grow stronger in the years to come.”

Further impetus

The Minister expressed the hope that the session would give further impetus to “the existing strong relationship” between the two countries in the defence sphere and help to resolve ongoing problems such as providing life-long product support to Russian-made weapon systems and delays in modernisation of the Gorshkov aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.

At the same time, he praised the “unique” character of the defence cooperation between India and Russia.

“Russia is the only country with which we have elaborate institutionalised arrangements,” he said.

Biggest defence partner

The Defence Minister said Russia was and would remain India’s biggest defence partner. Mr. Antony said: “The larger part of the inventory of our armed forces is of Russian origin and this is likely to remain so for many years to come. India wants not only to maintain but to strengthen defence ties with Russia.”

Over the years defence ties with Russia had evolved from buyer-seller relations to joint development and production of defence equipment.

“Large-scale ties”

Russia’s Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov described the Indo-Russian defence ties as “large-scale, plan-based and long-term.”

He said bilateral defence deals were under the constant control of the top leadership of the two countries.

Agreement on fighters

On Thursday, the two sides are expected to ink a pact on joint development of the fifth-generation combat aircraft.

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