India, Russia likely to ink IPR pact soon

During the discussions held this morning between the defence ministers of India and Russia, the two sides have agreed to finalise an agreeme...

During the discussions held this morning between the defence ministers of India and Russia, the two sides have agreed to finalise an agreement on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) soon. The agreement will open the gates for a veritable plethora of military cooperation pacts, stalled for lack of such an IPR understanding.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov informed his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee in a 50-minute meeting at the South Block today that several proposed joint projects between the two countries will go through once Moscow and New Delhi had their IPR issues sorted out.

Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt is likely to visit Moscow by the year-end to ease an “IPR stalemate” which came up when former defence secretary A V Singh had visited Russia earlier this year, sources said.

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Ivanov’s meetings proved that Russia has accepted that its position as India’s main supplier of military hardware is threatened by the US, European and Israeli interests.

“This is precisely why it has invited India to be part of its most ambitious military projects, including development of a fifth generation fighter aircraft. India is currently the only developing economy that has been invited to participate in such a project,” said a Defence Ministry official.

Talks between New Delhi and Washington on joint development of hardware has made Moscow nervous.

Ivanov has virtually thrown open Moscow’s military inventory to India, giving assurance that any Russian equipment purchased by India will come with technology that allows manufacture and further development in India, the “trump card” that all countries are now waving following new offset stipulations and licensing norms for arms purchases.

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In the next three years, Russia will deliver INS Vikramaaditya aircraft carrier to the Navy with a fleet of 16 deck-based MiG-29Ks. It is also keen to bag the much more lucrative deal of 126 fighters which the IAF plans to buy.

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