Moscow, December 08: India and Russia on Monday signed an ambitious civil nuclear deal that will ensure uninterrupted supply to Russian-supplied reactors in India. Both countries also signed defence pacts that will expand their relationship in strategic fields.
The agreements were signed after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Kremlin here, during which they discussed a whole range of issues.
“India and Russia have signed an agreement for supply of additional Russian civil nuclear reactors,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters at the end of a meeting.
He also said today’s discussions will strengthen and deepen India, Russia cooperation in nuclear energy. “There is a very bright future for both the countries in the sector,” he added.
The umbrella agreement for expanding civil nuclear cooperation will give New Delhi the right to reprocess spent fuel, taking the pact “far beyond the 123 agreement” inked with the US, official sources said.
The Indo-Russian pact on atomic cooperation is a significant document and goes much further than the 123 agreement between India and the US, officials said. The pact also has provisions for transfer of enrichment and nuclear technology, which is denied in the 123 agreement with the US.
Medvedev said the nuclear agreement opens the way for greater cooperation beyond Kudankulam.
“The nuclear cooperation between the two countries have a very good future. We are satisfied with the cooperation and I hope today’s agreement will pave the way for greater cooperation in this field in the years to come,” he said.
Asked about provision of ENR to India against the backdrop of a G-8 resolution in July this year under which Russia and seven other countries committed that they will refrain from transferring such technology, he said: “Nothing changes for us.”
Both countries also inked three pacts in the defence sector that will broad-base cooperation in the field.
The two leaders also voiced concern over terrorism.
“Our views are similar on global issues and our cooperation can extend to cooperation at international level,” Manmohan Singh told reporters in the Kremlin.
“We will be sharing intelligence and information gathering,” he added, after the two countries signed the nuclear deal and the defence accords as well as two memorandums of understandings, one on culture.
Medvedev expressed concern over the “grave challenge of terrorism”.
The Russian leader said: “There is a common threat that India and Russia face. We should consolidate our anti-terror base. We will provide concrete help in anti-terror activities.”
He added: “The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan underlines the importance of this… Terrorism is the biggest evil of current and last century.”
Noting that he was visiting Russia for the second time in six months, Singh said this reflected the close ties between the two countries. He said Russia is a major power and a factor of peace and stability in the international system.
“India accords highest priority in its relations with Russia and this relationship stands on a firm footing and is not influenced by relations with any other country,” he said.
Calling Indo-Russian relationship as “multi- dimensional and multi-faceted”, he said the two countries have decided to raise the level of bilateral trade from the present level to USD 30 billion by 2015.
He said the two countries have identified areas like information technology and communication for giving that impetus.
Russia could build upto 20 nuclear reactors in India Russia could build up to 20 civil nuclear reactors in India under a path-breaking atomic agreement signed between the two countries today, the chief of RosAtom State Corporation said. “Russia could build up 20 reactors for nuclear power plants worth dozens of billion dollars,” Sergei Kiriyenko, chief of RosAtom, told reporters here.
Russia, which is currently completing two 1,000 VVER light water reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, would be building at least four additional reactors at the same site.
India has also allocated a site in Haripur, West Bengal to build the fifth reactor.
“In addition to this India would be allocating a third site for building more reactors,” Kiriyenko said after the signing of the civil nuclear deal with India.
The deal guarantees uninterrupted nuclear fuel supplies to India, including enrichment and reprocessing rights, under the IAEA safeguards.
-Agencies