Defence Ministers of India, Russia set to hold crucial talks

Moscow, Oct 4 (PTI) India and Russia are set to hold
crucial negotiations for speeding up deliveries of key weapons
systems, including transfer of Nerpa class nuclear submarine
on lease, and finalise the agenda for the bilateral summit
scheduled for December-end.
Defence Minister A K Antony, who arrived here on a
three-day visit on Monday night, is to hold talks with his
Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov on a wide range of
issues pertaining to the inter-services cooperation.
During the talks, Antony is widely expected to set the
defence agenda for the bilateral summit scheduled for
December-end.
The two sides are expected to discuss the issue of
deliveries of key weapons systems, including transfer of Nerpa
class nuclear submarine to India on a 10-year lease.
It is believed that the two ministers would also discuss
the joint use of Ayni airbase near Tajik capital Dushanbe,
which has been modernised by the Indian Air Force.
On his way to Moscow, Antony's aircraft had made a
technical halt at the Ayni base.
Antony and Serdyukov would also co-chair the Indo-Russian
Intergovernmental Commission (IRIGC-MTC) on military
cooperation.
IRIGC-MTC is the nodal body for steering the defence
cooperation under the long-term military-technical interaction
programme till 2020, the only such programme New Delhi and
Moscow have with any foreign country.
With irritants like cost-escalation and delay in the
delivery of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier becoming the
matters of the past, the Indo-Russian military cooperation is
now on the even track, sources here said.
They noted that the modernisation of the vessel to be
inducted as INS Vikramaditya is now running two months ahead
of schedule and Russia would be able to deliver it by December
2012 deadline.
The two sides are to focus now on joint development and
production projects like fifth generation fighter aircraft
(FGFA) and multi-role transport aircraft for the military
(MTA).
After the success of BrahMos cruise missile joint
venture, the two sides are poised to transform their military
cooperation from a 'buyer-seller' relationship to joint
partners, as India continues to remain 'numero uno' client of
the Russian defence industry, in spite of opening of the
Indian arms market to the US and other Western powers. PTI VS
MNS