Breaking news
India is the biggest partner of Russia for military technical cooperation TASS 12312151.
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Defence & Security News - Russia / India
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| India is the biggest partner of Russia for military technical cooperation. | |||
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Russia will always remain India’s primary military technical cooperation partner, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told TASS Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman in an exclusive interview - his first interview to the Russian media since he assumed office in May 2014.
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 Indian army using Russian-made BMP-2 armoured infantry fighting vehicle during military exercise. |
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"Russia has been India’s foremost defense partner through decades, accounting for a majority of our defense equipment," Modi stressed.
The prime minister emphasized: "We value Russian support during the era when not many doors were open to us." "Even in the current environment, and despite India’s improved access to the world market, Russia remains our principal partner," he said. "The aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, Sukhoi fighter jets and BrahMos cruise missiles are a great symbol of our defense cooperation. They are the result of unwavering mutual trust and confidence and reflect the strength of our strategic partnership. According to the Indian premier, the Russian-Indian military technical ties have evolved from the ordinary buyer-seller relations into the joint research, development and production of such advanced systems as the BrahMos missile in India and the licence production of Su-30MKI fighters and T-90 tanks. Russia and India are expected to discuss the agreements on the purchase of two Varshavyanka-class diesel-electric submarines, 48 Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters, 150 BMP-2/2K armored fighting vehicles and three Project 11356 frigates. New Delhi has also given the green light to purchase several Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, local media report. Indian military could become the second country in the world after China to procure state-of-the-art S-400s. "As part of our enhanced military cooperation, joint military exercises are being conducted by the Armed Forces of both the countries regularly," Prime Minister Modu noted. "We are also working together for joint manufacture of defense equipment and components in India under the Make in India initiative." In this connection, the prime minister hoped for Russia to become India’s principal partner under the Make in India military-industrial project. "We will start working in this sphere soon," the Indian prime minister said. India is Russia's biggest buyer of military hardware. In 2014, India purchased military hardware from Russia worth $4.7 billion, which accounted for 28 percent of Russia's total arms exports, according to Kommersant. |
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