Russia in strong support to India’s counter-terror actions

Russia on
Wednesday reaffirmed its strong support to India in effectively dealing with
terrorism, saying it accords priority to New Delhi’s security interests in the
region.

Russian
Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu made the remarks during a
delegation-level meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in Moscow,
according to the defence ministry here.

The 19th
India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical
Cooperation, co-chaired by Singh and Shoigu, considered on all key aspects of
defence and security ties between the two countries.

In a
significant move, the two ministers directed their respective teams to work
closely for early conclusion of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Agreement
on Reciprocal Logistics Support.

The defence
ministry said General Shoigu agreed to Singh’s request to constitute specific
working groups for after-sales support of key defence platforms being used by
Indian armed forces.

“Both
sides agreed to escalate efforts to finalise cooperation programme for
2021-2030 period,” the ministry said.

Russia has
been one of India’s key major suppliers of arms and ammunition. However, it has
been a long-standing offense of armed forces that supply of critical spares and
equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military
systems procured from that country.

“The
Russian defence minister underlined Moscow’s commitment to extend all possible
support in enhancing India’s defence capabilities, including cooperation in
advance and cutting-edge technology. Singh appreciated Russia’s steadfast
support,” ministry said.

The Russian
side also confirmed its readiness to operationalise the joint venture
lndo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd for the manufacture of Kalashnikov AK 203 rifles in
India at the earliest.

The two
sides also exchanged views on a range of international issues of common
concern, and General Shoigu briefed Singh on Russian operations in Syria, the
ministry said.

“Russian
President Vladimir Putin has already extended an invitation to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to attend the celebrations. Singh assured that an Indian
contingent would be participating in the parade,” it said.