Four different pacts in the field of defence were signed at the end of the 20th meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) by the two countries on Monday, including a contract for procurement of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles, sources in the government said.
The meeting was held between defence minister Rajnath Singh with his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu. It was followed by the first-ever 2+2 ministerial dialogue between India and Russia being held alongside the 21st annual summit between the two countries, as part of which Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Delhi today.
The four pacts signed between the two sides include a protocol on amending the agreement between India and Russia on cooperation in the field of Kalashnikov series small arms manufacturing, which was dated February 18, 2019, and an over Rs 5,000-crore contract for procurement of 6.01 lakh AK-203 assault rifles (7.63X39mm) through a joint venture Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited. The manufacturing will take place at a facility in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi.
An agreement on Program for Military Technical Cooperation from 2021-2031 and the protocol of the 20th IRIGC-M&MTC were also inked by the two defence ministers.
In his opening remarks at the meet, Singh said that Russia is India’s long-standing special and privileged strategic partner and maintained that the relations were time-tested and based on common interests in multilateralism, global peace and prosperity, mutual understanding and trust.
He also appreciated Russia’s strong support for India and stressed that the close cooperation is not targeted against another country, adding that defence cooperation was one of the most important pillars of the bilateral partnership.
“India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation is a well-established mechanism since last two decades. It provides a platform to discuss and implement mutually agreed agenda for defence cooperation,” he said. “You have been actively involved in these discussions for several years. I wish to acknowledge with respect your valuable personal contribution to strengthen our bilateral defence cooperation,” he added in his opening remarks.
The defence minister also said the summit meeting between Russian President Putin and PM Modi again reconfirms the depth and critical importance of the “special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia in the emerging geo-political circumstances.”
Describing the first-ever India-Russia 2+2 ministerial dialogue as a special initiative, taken by the leaders of the two countries, he said it signals the higher relevance and necessity for cooperation between the two countries.
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