Team News Riveting
New Delhi, December 6
Russian President Vladimir Putin lauded India as “a great power” on Monday as he arrived in New Delhi to bolster military and energy ties with a traditional ally.
This is Putin’s second trip abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began – he skipped both the G20 and COP26 summits this year – after a June summit with US President Joe Biden in Geneva. “We perceive India as a great power, a friendly nation and a time-tested friend,” Putin said in the Indian capital alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Putin landed in New Delhi on a short visit for the 21st India-Russia summit. The day began with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu under the framework of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this was Russian President’s second foreign visit after pandemic and it showed his affection and personal commitment towards India that symbolised the strength of India-Russia relations that showed no change in the pace of growth despite the challenges posed by COVID. “Our special and privileged strategic partnership continues to become stronger,” PM Narendra Modi said during the meeting with Putin.
“In the last few decades, the world witnessed many fundamental changes and different kinds of geopolitical equations emerged but the friendship of India and Russia remained constant,” Modi said, adding that the relation between India and Russia is truly a unique and reliable model of interstate friendship.
The Prime Minister Modi said that the two countries have been in constant touch on Afghanistan and on other regional issues. “The first 2+2 dialogue between our defence and foreign ministers has taken place. It starts a new mechanism to improve our behavioural cooperation,” he said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Then the foreign and defence ministers of the two sides held the ‘2+2’ dialogue. Lavrov and Shoygu arrived here late Sunday night.
At the end of the talks between the defence ministers, both sides inked an agreement for joint production of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles at a manufacturing facility in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi besides firming up another pact on military cooperation for 10 years. The rifles will be manufactured for the Indian armed forces at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore.
The agreements were signed at the 20th meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC).
