New Delhi, December 06: Reflecting the depth of their cooperation in Defence, India and Russia will sign three agreements in this key field during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Moscow starting from Sunday.
India also hopes to sign an Inter-Governmental framework agreement for cooperation in civil nuclear field during Dr Singh’s three-day visit to Russia, the sixth to that country as prime minister since 2004.
“Negotiations(for the framework agreement) are at an advanced stage. We hope to sign it during the visit(of PM),” Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters on the eve of the visit.
Dr Singh will hold the annual summit level talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday during when tough anti-terrorism steps, expansion of civil nuclear ties and defence coperation and measures to give a boost to sluggish bilateral trade ties will be high on their agenda.
Besides the agreement relating to After Sales Support that entails supplies of spare parts, etc., to the defence equipment procured from Russia, the other two pacts to be inked relates to Military Technical Cooperation and a pact on Supplement to Agreement on Multi-Role Transport Aircraft.
The problems over revised costs dogging the delivery of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier is also expected to be taken up by Dr Singh, who has voiced confidence of finding “practical solutions” to the vexed issue.
“We hope to work for a mutually satisfactory solution,” Rao said when asked whether the Gorkhov issue will be sorted out during the visit.
Two MoUs relating to Indian credit line and culture will also be initialled.
At their summit talks, Dr Singh and Medvedev will discuss the problem of terrorism emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan amid India’s hopes that Russia, as a “great
power, could convince Islamabad not to use terror against New Delhi as an instrument of state policy.
Ahead of his visit, Dr Singh said, “We face in the sub-continent the onset of terrorism aided, inspired and instigated by our neighbour.”
The planned overarching Inter-Governmental framework Civil Nuclear Agreement will enable the two countries to set up atomic reactors in each other’s country.
The agreement also entails perennial supply of uranium to Indian reactors and gives India the upfront right of reprocessing of spent fuel, according to sources.
It also contains provisions that could allow transfer of Enrichment and Reprocessing Technology subject to certain conditions.
Dr Singh said that cooperation in the field of nuclear energy has been a “very important pillar” of the bilateral cooperation and that India has identified new sites for collaboration in nuclear power projects.
Russia is already building two nuclear power units in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and is to build four more reactors there under an agreement signed last year during Medvedev’s visit to India last year. India has identified an additional site at Haripur in West Bengal for Russia to build another nuclear plant.
The prime minister has said that cooperation in the field of nuclear energy has been a “very important pillar” of the bilateral cooperation.
Dr Singh will also meet Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
He is also due to attend the gala closing of the ‘Year of India’ on Monday before leaving for home the next day.
—Agencies