India and Russia on Saturday signed the Rs 39,000-crore deal on the S-400 Triumf long-range air defence system at the eighth Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Goa. The S-400 missile system is believed to be among the most advanced in its field, with the ability to eliminate airborne targets at ranges of up to 400 km, according to The Hindu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the two leaders held delegation-level talks at the Brics summit. Modi said both countries were moving towards a bright future, and the success of the summit highlighted "our strong convergence of views on pressing issues". He said, "We [India and Russia] continue to expand, diversify and deepen economic engagement...With President Putin's support, we are willing to expand the scope of our relationship even further."
Calling Indo-Russia relations "truly privileged and unique", Modi further said that India appreciated Russia's "support of our actions to fight cross-border terrorism that threatens our entire region". He added that both countries "agree on zero tolerance towards terrorism". "Russia's clear stand on the need to combat terrorism mirrors our own," he said, in reference to the rising number of infiltration attempts by militants from across the border with Pakistan.
In addition to the S-400 agreement, Modi and Putin witnessed the exchange of 17 memoranda of understanding and three announcements across different sectors. These include the signing of a deal to procure 200 Kamov 226T helicopters from Russia, an energy cooperation agreement for 2016-'17, an MoU on cyber security and the $12-bllion Rosneft-Essar Oil agreement for the development of refinery infrastructure, among several others.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier said that a number of other agreements were likely to be announced later on Saturday. Among the other deals signed between India and Russia are as follows:
- An intergovernmental contract on the purchase of frigates from Russia
- Laying the foundation for units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam nuclear power plants
- Shipbuilding and smart city projects in Andhra Pradesh
- A protocol for consultation between the foreign ministries of India and Russia
- A smart city project in Haryana
- A joint partnership on global security
- Nagpur-Secundrabad-Hyderabad high-speed train
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