Catherine Joseph
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 15.12.2011 arrived Moscow on a three-day visit to Russia for further expanding bilateral cooperation and consolidating coordination on regional and global issues.
Singh arrived at the Sheremetyevo International Airport and was received by Russia’s deputy foreign minister A M Vadakin.
Noting that there is enormous mutual goodwill in the two countries for each other, Singh, prior to his departure, had said in New Delhi that he is “convinced that India-Russia consultation on global issues is more necessary today than ever before”. “Both countries recognise the significant mutual benefit we derive from working together. I will utilise my visit to further expand our bilateral cooperation and further consolidate our coordination on regional and global issues. “This is in our national interest and in the interest of global peace and prosperity,” the Prime Minister, who will be attending the 12th annual Indo-Russian Summit in Moscow, said in a statement.
Observing that 2011 India-Russia Annual Summit was taking place against the backdrop of a complex international environment, Singh said he was “looking forward to an indepth exchange of views with the Russian leadership on the crisis facing the global economy and the political developments in our extended neighbourhood, including West Asia, Gulf and Afghanistan and the impact of all this on peace and stability in the world.
“I am convinced that India-Russia consultation on global issues is more necessary today than ever before. Our bilateral relations with Russia are based on mutual trust, friendship and shared interests,” he had said, noting that bilateral ties encompass diverse sectors including nuclear energy, defence, space, science and technology, hydrocarbons, trade and investment and people-to-people exchanges.
Five Agreements signed
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, left Moscow for India on 17.12.2011 after concluding a three-day visit during which he attended the 12th annual Indo-Russian summit and witnessed inking of five agreements, including one for technical assistance in joint production of 42 more frontline Sukhoi-MKI 30 jets.
Dr Singh, who held talks with the President, Mr Dmitry Medvedev, cleared the uncertainty over the Kudankulam nuclear power project on 16.12.2011 and said the first unit of the protest-hit plant will be operationalised in a “couple of weeks” but India and Russia did not sign any agreement on construction of the third and fourth units.
The two countries signed a crucial agreement for technical assistance in joint production of 42 more frontline Sukhoi-MKI 30 jets, which was among the five pacts initialled in the presence of Dr Singh and Mr Medvedev besides a joint statement on Indo-Russian partnership.
Russia also backed India’s bid for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council as well as its aspirations to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Dr Singh welcomed Moscow’s entry to the World Trade Organization.
Dr Singh congratulated his counterpart, Mr Vladimir Putin, on the victory of his ruling United Russia party in the December 4, 2011 parliamentary polls, during their meeting.
Russia to offer 42 upgraded Sukhois to India
An additional 42 Sukhoi frontline fighters will be provided to India by Russia under an agreement inked between the two sides during the visit of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. With this pact, the total number of acquired or contracted aircraft by India in various stages of manufacture of the frontline Su-30 MKI fighters would increase to 272.
The agreement for the upgraded Sukhois was signed by the Defence Secretary, Mr Shashi Kant Sharma, and the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Director, Mr M.A. Dmitriev, in the presence of Dr Singh, and the Russian President, Mr Dmitry Medvedev, after their talks at the 12th annual Indo-Russian Summit at the Kremlin 0n 16.12.2011.
The pact, which was among the five agreements initialled between the two countries, came against the backdrop of a crash of an Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 near Pune. The mishap, in which the two pilots ejected safely, raised some technical questions and also led to the grounding of the entire fleet of 120 planes pending investigations.
An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) and a general contract were signed in 2000 for the manufacture of 140 Su-30 MKI aircraft by HAL. A 2007 protocol envisaged manufacture of a further 40 aircraft. Earlier, 50 Su-30 aircraft were purchased in phases prior to the signing of IGA and deliveries started in the late 90s. The latest version is expected to include a new cockpit, an upgraded radar and certain stealth features to avoid radar detection.
Significantly, the upgraded Sukhoi-30 MKIs will be able to carry a heavier weapons load, especially the airborne version of the Brahmos cruise missile. The first delivery of the upgraded Sukhois is expected in 2014 and the last by 2018.
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