India, Russia sign protocol to strengthen defence ties

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov on Thursday signed a protocol to strengthen defence ties between the two nations. The Indian Government has received a ‘‘comfort letter’’ from the Russian Finance Ministry, which Mukherjee said, would suffice for already contracted supply of defence equipment.

Speaking about the IPR agreement, Mukherjee said the draft proposal would take about four-five months. The Russian side’s insistence on an IPR agreement has everything to do with ongoing offers to the Indian government. These include the offer for India to invest in the joint development of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft, for which a conceptual presentation was made to the Defence Ministry today, a 20-ton transport aircraft and a 95-seater civil jet.