Amidst sweeping changes in global strategic relations, New Delhi and its oldest ally Russia on Monday decided to expand and extend their strategic military ties.
NEW DELHI: Amidst sweeping changes in global strategic relations, New Delhi and its oldest ally Russia on Monday decided to expand and extend their strategic military ties. Both sides admitted that they wanted to see more dynamism in their military ties.
After consultations between defence delegations headed by their respective defence ministers, they said the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation, India’s only ministerial-level annual summit on defence with any country, would carry on until 2020. The term of the commission, co-chaired by the defence ministers of the two countries meeting annually, was to end in 2010.
The meeting on Monday also reflected the complexities that have crept into the bilateral defence relations, with India’s demands for better quality equipment and service, and the inroads being made by the Israelis, US, and Europeans.
Of late, Russia and India have been warring over the cost of most items that India wants to buy. This has led to serious delays especially in the delivery of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier and has also resulted in some major contracts not being concluded yet despite in-principle agreement.
Besides, India has been repeatedly pointing out to the Russians’ lack of efficient after-sales service and support from them.
To resole such problems, the two sides on Monday decided to set up an apex committee under the defence secretaries of both the sides. Defence minister AK Antony said the apex committee would “sort out all problems.”
The panel will meet at least once in six months. Antony pointed out, “A major part of our defence inventory is of Russian origin, and continues to remain so even now.”
“Today, we decided to have more exercises between the army, navy and air forces
of both sides,” Antony said, insisting that Indo-Russian relations were special. Not only would be number of exercises be increased but the “scale will also be improved,” he said.
Antony and his counterpart, Anatoly Serdyukov, said the two sides wanted their relations “to be more dynamic and expand it to more areas”.
j_josy@dnaindia.net
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