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Defense, nuclear deals agreed during Medvedev's India visit
Source: Agencies |
December 22, 2010, Wednesday
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RUSSIA and India yesterday agreed a long-awaited contract to jointly develop fifth generation fighter aircraft and signed a deal to expand capacity at an Indian nuclear power plant.
The defense and nuclear deals were signed during a two-day visit to India by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who had been expected to lobby hard for the former Cold War ally to stay loyal to Russian-made jets and reactors, rather than those offered by the West.
A statement said the two countries would work on a design project for the fighters and had agreed to build the third and fourth generating units for a nuclear power plant in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Russia has been India's close economic and political partner since Soviet days, and monopolized India's defense market for decades. But New Delhi wants to reduce its reliance on one country to reflect its growing clout on the world stage.
Leaders from Britain, the United States, France and China - along with Russia, the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - have all visited India in the past six months, securing contracts worth a total of around US$50 billion.
Medvedev, accompanied by a delegation of business leaders, held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi yesterday. He will visit the Taj Mahal and Mumbai today.
"It is well known that we want to diversify our basket of suppliers for our strategic areas," said one senior Indian government official.
"We will always have close ties with Russia but they are no longer the only game in town," he added.
Russia sees India as a potential ally in Afghanistan. However, India's growing ties with the US, underscored by an earlier landmark civil nuclear deal, has made Russia ill at ease.
New Delhi is likely to seek backing from Russia for its bid to secure a permanent seat on an enlarged UN Security Council, following statements of support from Paris and Washington in recent months.
Medvedev had been expected to secure a contract on jointly developing 250-300 fifth generation fighter aircraft over 10 years. The contract amount was unknown, but unofficially said to be around US$35 billion.
Yesterday's statement said the two sides had also signed a deal for Russia to supply missiles to the Indian army.
Russia is also keen to continue supplying nuclear technology and expertise to energy-hungry India.
The defense and nuclear deals were signed during a two-day visit to India by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who had been expected to lobby hard for the former Cold War ally to stay loyal to Russian-made jets and reactors, rather than those offered by the West.
A statement said the two countries would work on a design project for the fighters and had agreed to build the third and fourth generating units for a nuclear power plant in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Russia has been India's close economic and political partner since Soviet days, and monopolized India's defense market for decades. But New Delhi wants to reduce its reliance on one country to reflect its growing clout on the world stage.
Leaders from Britain, the United States, France and China - along with Russia, the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - have all visited India in the past six months, securing contracts worth a total of around US$50 billion.
Medvedev, accompanied by a delegation of business leaders, held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi yesterday. He will visit the Taj Mahal and Mumbai today.
"It is well known that we want to diversify our basket of suppliers for our strategic areas," said one senior Indian government official.
"We will always have close ties with Russia but they are no longer the only game in town," he added.
Russia sees India as a potential ally in Afghanistan. However, India's growing ties with the US, underscored by an earlier landmark civil nuclear deal, has made Russia ill at ease.
New Delhi is likely to seek backing from Russia for its bid to secure a permanent seat on an enlarged UN Security Council, following statements of support from Paris and Washington in recent months.
Medvedev had been expected to secure a contract on jointly developing 250-300 fifth generation fighter aircraft over 10 years. The contract amount was unknown, but unofficially said to be around US$35 billion.
Yesterday's statement said the two sides had also signed a deal for Russia to supply missiles to the Indian army.
Russia is also keen to continue supplying nuclear technology and expertise to energy-hungry India.
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