ON A day when India and Russia signed 15 MoUs across a range of sectors, from space to deep-sea exploration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a veiled reference in Vladivostok to J&K and Pakistan — and said that India and Russia “are against outside influence in internal matters of any nation”. Speaking at a joint press conference Wednesday, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Modi also said that the nuclear power plants being built in India by Russia had strengthened bilateral relations, and announced a proposal for a “full-fledged” maritime route between Chennai and Vladivostok. Putin described India as “a key partner”. “Relations between our countries can be described as truly strategic and privileged and have been developing on the basis of friendship and mutual benefit,” he said. Calling Modi “a big friend of our country”, the Russian President said that they maintain “close official and personal ties” and hold regular meetings, which have become a “good tradition”. “Our talks are invariably conducted in a friendly atmosphere and are always meaningful and constructive”, he said. The bilateral MoUs, meanwhile, also covered connectivity, oil and gas, and energy, while a joint statement shared a common line on other key issues, including defence ties and terrorism. The 81-paragraph statement noted the “pace of progress achieved in the construction of the remaining four of the six nuclear power plants at Kudankulam”. “Both Sides engaged in discussion on the second site and welcomed continuation of technical discussions on the. Russian design and joint manufacturing of equipment and fuel,” it said. It said the energy industry has traditionally been a key area of interaction between the two countries, and that civil nuclear cooperation is an “important component” of the strategic partnership. The two sides discussed “successful cooperation” in the construction of the Rooppur NPP in Bangladesh and expressed their readiness to expand in other countries, the joint statement said. There was no reference to the S-400 missile deal in the statement. But the two sides expressed their commitment to upgrading defence cooperation, including joint development and production of military equipment, components and spare parts, improving after-sales service and holding regular joint exercises of their armed forces. “Both Sides agreed to take forward ongoing engagement to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India program through transfer of technology and setting up of joint ventures,” the statement said. The two leaders strongly condemned terrorism in all forms and called on the international community to set up a united front. “They insisted on the inadmissibility of double standards in countering terrorism and extremism, as well as of the use of terrorist groups for political ends..Today no country is aloof from the shadow of terrorism. India and Russia need to be united in their counter-terrorism efforts,” the statement said. Referring to Modi’s recent call, the statement said Russia had “noted India’s proposal to organize a global anti-terrorism conference.” Both sides also shared notes on the situation in Afghanistan in the wake of a deal between the US and the Taliban. “India and Russia support all efforts for an inclusive peace and Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation in Afghanistan. The Sides expressed their commitment to an early peaceful settlement in Afghanistan. They encouraged all interested States in their efforts to make the peace process in Afghanistan broad-based, preserve the Constitutional order, bring durable peace and turn Afghanistan into a peaceful, secure, stable and independent state,” it said. With the summit taking place in Vladivostok, the two sides discussed cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow in the sphere of the development of the Russia’s far-east. As a first step, a delegation of four Indian Chief Ministers, led by the Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal, visited Vladivostok on August 12-13 to explore options in targeted sectors. Both sides also look forward to exploring cooperation on temporary placement of skilled manpower from India to far-east Russia, the joint statement said. Russia expressed its readiness to participate in major infrastructural and other projects in India. “Both Sides welcomed the recent opening of the Far East Investment and Export Agency’s office in Mumbai and looked forward to its contribution to the development of bilateral trade and economic relations with regard to the Russian Far East,” it said. Both sides agreed to extend by one year the duration of e-visas for business and tourism purposes, including for Russian nationals, and the introduction of free e-visas for Indian nationals to visit the Kaliningrad region and Vladivostok. On Thursday, the two leaders will address the Eastern Economic Forum, and attend a Judo championship.
