India hosts Putin as it balances ties with Russia, US
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Loading... - Amoli Naidu
- 07 Dec 2021
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss defence and trade relations as India attempts to balance its ties with the United States.
The agenda for the annual summit on Monday included political and defence issues, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
The meeting between Modi and Putin in New Delhi comes hours after the defence and foreign ministers of the two countries held a strategic dialogue to discuss reinforcing ties between India and Russia.
The two countries also signed a slew of bilateral defence agreements, including India’s procurement of more than 600,000 assault rifles from Russia.
India’s Ministry of Defence called it a “landmark” deal that would replace a locally made rifle with a modern weapon, ending the “long quest” for its army’s needs.
India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said India and Russia signed 28 investment pacts on Monday, including deals on steel, shipbuilding, coal and energy.
India starts to receive S-400
India has also begun to receive S-400 missiles from Russia this month, Shringla said, adding that supplies would continue.
Speaking during the meeting, Modi said the agreements reached would be “beneficial across various sectors”.
“Under the ‘Make in India’ programme, our co-development and co-production projects are making our defence cooperation stronger. Our cooperation is also progressing in the space and civil nuclear sectors,” Modi said.
The two countries also signed an agreement to extend their military technology cooperation for the next decade.
Speaking in the capital alongside Modi, Putin said: “Our colleagues, foreign and defence ministers are here; this is the first meeting in this format. It means that we continue to develop our relations on the international scene and in the military sphere. Read More…
