Global General

India, Russia ink 19 pacts on defense, nuclear and space

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-13 02:10

NEW DELHI - India and Russia Friday inked 19 deals, including a US$2.34 billion agreement on the purchase of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and a US$1.5 billion deal on the supplies of 29 more MiG29K carrier-based fighter jets to the Indian Navy.

Meanwhile, two nuclear pacts under the civil nuclear cooperation and a pact on civilian space exploration were also the highlights of the agreements signed in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Russian Premier Vladimir Putin.

"An agreement on supplying an additional set of MiG-29K fighter jets has been signed, the start of supplies is scheduled for 2012. Russia will fulfill the previous contract on supplies of singleseat MiG-29K fighters to India by 2010," Mikhail Pogosyan, the head of the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, told the media.

Putin held a two-hour-long discussion with Singh during which both reviewed bilateral relations and talked about a spate of regional and global issues, including counter-terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the upcoming Nuclear Summit in Washington and the global financial crisis.

They also signed an umbrella nuclear agreement on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, which was initiated Singh's trip to Moscow in December last year.

Under the agreements in civil nuclear field, Russia will build 12 atomic plants -- six in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and six in Haripur in West Bengal.

Both the countries also inked another pact on serial construction of Russian designed nuclear reactors.

"This is one of our major, far-reaching, promising areas of interaction. Cooperation with India in nuclear energy will include not only building reactors and supply of the fuel, but also waste disposal," Putin said during a video-conferencing session with Indian businessmen.

Russia is among a number of countries seeking to expand their activities in India following its landmark civilian nuclear deal with the United States in 2005. That accord ended India's nuclear isolation after it tested an unannounced atom bomb blast in 1974.

New Delhi has a long history of military ties with Moscow since the mid-1950s. The current cooperation program comprises about 200 joint projects, including the transfer of technology for the licensed assembly of T-90 tanks in India, the production of BrahMos missiles and purchase of Smerch MLRS by India.