India and Russia on Friday came together to sign a roadmap for boosting bilateral military cooperation, PTI reported. The deal was signed by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, who is in Russia for a three-day visit, and his counterpart General Sergey Shoigu.
“We are determined to go ahead with building up cooperation in order to enhance the combat readiness of both countries’ armed forces and to exchange experience in various defence-related matters,” Shoigu said, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.
The meeting between Jaitley and Shoigu took place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on June 2 when they had decided to “upgrade and intensify” defence ties. Putin had said that the cooperation between the two countries was not just limited to the direct supply of modern Russian weapons to India as they would now jointly develop and manufacture these.
On May 20, India had finalised a “strategic partnership model” that aims to involve select private firms to build military platforms like submarines and fighter jets in India in partnership with foreign entities. “Russia, as India’s largest, oldest and most trusted partner in defence hardware and equipment, would have a comparative advantage in partnering with Indian companies for realising ‘Make in India’ potential in defence production,’ Jaitley had said while addressing a forum on Thursday, PTI reported.
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