Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Thursday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Thursday.
The Soviet Union and India established diplomatic relations on April 13, 1947. The relevant contractual-legal base was updated after 1991, with both countries signing over 200 bilateral documents. The January 28, 1993 Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of India is the foundation document of the Russian-Indian relations.
In October 2000, Putin made a state visit to India, with both parties having signed the Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and the Republic of India.
Highly intensive political contacts are the main feature of Russian-Indian ties. The parties discuss key areas of bilateral cooperation, as well as topical international and regional issues, during annual summits and top-level talks.
Russia and India take turns hosting bilateral summits. Moscow hosted an annual summit from December 23-24, 2015. At that time, Putin held talks with Modi, who was on a two-day official visit to Russia. After the visit, the parties signed a package of documents stipulating multifaceted cooperation. Putin and Modi also met with representatives of Russian and Indian business communities.
The 2016 Russian-Indian summit coincided with the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Goa and was held on October 15.
Following the consultations, the two sides signed a package of documents on cooperation in various fields. Putin and Modi adopted a joint statement, Partnership for Global Peace and Stability.
In 2017, the 18th Russian-Indian summit was held on the margins of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 1.
Following the talks, a package of cooperation documents was signed, in particular, an agreement on scientific and industrial research, a framework agreement on the construction of two units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), a program of cultural exchanges between the two countries. Putin and Modi adopted the St. Petersburg Declaration on boosting the cooperation in political, trade and economic, scientific and technical, as well as humanitarian areas.
On October 4, 2018, Putin paid an official two-day visit to India. He held talks with Modi in New Delhi. During the 19th Russian-Indian summit, the two parties discussed the further development of bilateral strategic partnership. They also exchanged views on current international and regional issues. A number of bilateral documents were signed following the talks.
On the eve of the talks, Putin and Modi spoke privately. They also took part in the work of the Russian-Indian Business Forum and met with a group of students from the Russian education center Sirius and gifted children from India. At the end of the visit, Putin met with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.
National leaders meet regularly on the sidelines of multilateral forums. On July 7, 2017, an informal meeting of the BRICS heads of state and government was held ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg.
On September 4, 2017, Putin and Modi held a meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Xiamen, China.
On May 21, 2018, the leaders of Russia and India held an informal summit in Sochi. Putin and Modi discussed the development of the Russian-Indian partnership, topical international and regional issues.
On December 1, 2018, the leaders of Russia, India, and China met on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
On May 7-11, 2015, then-Indian President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee visited Moscow at the invitation of Putin and attended celebrations of the 70th Victory Day's anniversary. On May 9, he had talks with the Russian president. During the visit, Mukherjee gave a lecture at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic academy, where he received a DSc Honoris Causa certificate.
He also attended a roundtable discussion of rectors of leading Russian and Indian universities at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Event participants signed cooperation documents on education exchanges. Moreover, Mukherjee met with Russian scholars in Asian studies as well as with representatives of the Indian community in Moscow. At the end of his visit, Mukherjee took part in opening the festival of Indian culture at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.
On November 12, 2017, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev held a brief conversation with Modi on the margins of the 12th East Asia Summit in Manila, the Philippines.
Both countries are developing contacts at the level of their foreign ministries, security councils and other specialized ministries. Russia and India prioritize expanded bilateral trade and economic cooperation. The India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation is a key mechanism of bilateral cooperation. The commission's regular 24th meeting was held in Moscow in September 2018.
According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, the trade turnover between Russia and India amounted to $10.9 billion in 2018, including $7.7 billion in Russian exports and $3.2 billion in Russian imports.
In the first quarter of 2019, the trade between Russia and India amounted to $2.2 billion.
Russia primarily exports mineral products, machinery, equipment and transport vehicles, precious metals and stones, chemical industry products, wood and pulp and paper products, metals and products made of these metals, food and agricultural products.
In turn, India provides Russia with chemical industry products, food and agricultural products, machinery, equipment and transport vehicles, textiles and footwear, metals and products made of these metals.
Russia is an important partner for India in implementing civilian nuclear energy projects.
Under the 1988 inter-governmental agreement and its supplement of 1998, Russia is building the Kudankulam nuclear power station in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The station's first reactor was put on stream in 2013 and became part of the Indian power grid. The reactor was finally handed over to the customer in summer of 2016.
The station's second reactor started generating power on August 29, 2016. At the end of March 2017 the Indian side started operating the reactor with a Russian warranty.
In October 2016, Putin and Modi launched the second unit via videoconferencing and participated in the inauguration of the Kudankulam NPP's units 3 and 4.
The construction of the Kudankulam NPP's units 3 and 4 began in June and October 2017, respectively.
Currently, Russian state nuclear company Rosatom has launched a full-scale construction of the second stage of units 3 and 4, while preparations to begin the construction of the third stage (units 5 and 6) are also underway. The actual start of the construction is planned for 2019 and 2020 for units 5 and 6, respectively.
Russia and India are also implementing oil and gas cooperation projects. Since 2001, India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has been involved in the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project through its ONGC Videsh (OVL) subsidiary, which owns a 20 percent stake in the project. In May 2014, Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft and OVL signed a memorandum of understanding that provided for cooperation on Russia's continental Arctic shelf.
In 2016, Indian companies became shareholders of Vankorneft company, controlled by Rosneft, developing the Vankor oil and gas condensate field in the Krasnoyarsk Region.
In the spring of 2016, Indian ONGC bought 15 percent stake in Vankorneft, ONGC increased its share in Vankorneft to 26 percent in October. In early October 2016, Rosneft and a consortium of Indian companies consisting of Oil India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Bharat PetroResources Limited closed a deal to sell 23.9 percent of the shares in Vankorneft to Indian companies. The total share of Indian state-owned companies in Vankorneft is 49.9 percent.
In early October 2012, Gazprom Marketing and Trading Singapore, a subsidiary of Russia's gas giant Gazprom, signed a legally binding 20-year contract for the sale of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India's GAIL. Under the document, GAIL will annually receive 2.5 million tons of LNG, an equivalent of 3.5 billion cubic meters (123.6 cubic feet) of gas, during a 20-year period. The first LNG batches were delivered to India in March of 2018.
In August 2017, Rosneft clinched a strategic deal on the acquisition of 49.13 percent of shares in Indian Essar Oil Limited. The deal was worth $3.9 billion. The Russian company received a share in Vadinar refinery, one of the biggest refineries with an integrated infrastructure in India and the Asia-Pacific region. The Essar Oil Limited business also includes a large network of petrol stations in India operating under the Essar brand.
Bilateral science and technological cooperation is making headway. In 1987, the USSR and India signed their first comprehensive long-term program of science and technological cooperation. In 2000, the program was extended until December 2010. In December 2010, a new comprehensive long-term program of cooperation (until 2020) in the area of science, technology and innovations was signed during the New Delhi summit.
Russia has been India's longtime partner in multifaceted defense cooperation. To date, both countries are implementing several bilateral projects and are developing the BrahMos multipurpose missile system and the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft. India is also mastering batch production of Su-30 Flanker-C fighters and T-90 tanks under a Russian license.
In March 2019, Russia and India opened a plant for production of 200-series Kalashnikov assault rifles in the Indian city of Corva.
Today, the Indian Navy is equipped with Russian equipment by 80 percent, and the Air Force is equipped by 70 percent. The long-term program of military-technical cooperation for 2011-2020 as well as over 20 inter-governmental agreements remain a pillar of cooperation in this area.
According to experts, Russia has supplied over $65 billion worth of military equipment to India since 1960, when bilateral military-technical cooperation was launched.
In October 2018, Moscow and New Delhi signed a contract for the deliveries of five regiments of advanced S-400 air defense systems worth more than $5 billion. This deal has already been called the largest in the entire history of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
In addition, the shipments of Russian Project 11356 frigates to India as well as the deliveries of a large batch of man-portable air defense system Igla are among other major contracts that were concluded in 2018.
In May, Russian Helicopters also received an official request from the Indian Defense Ministry for the deliveries of 200 Ka-226T helicopters.
Russia is training Indian military experts at the Defense Ministry's universities. Russia and India also hold annual military exercises. Relations between Moscow and New Delhi provide for a mechanism of bilateral consultations on issues of regional and global security and military reforms.
The countries have established the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission for Military-Technical Cooperation, headed by national defense ministers, for coordinating the process of bilateral military-technical cooperation.
Russian-Indian cultural cooperation remains a traditionally important aspect of bilateral relations. The parties exchange performers, theater, song and dance groups and various exhibitions, and also organize academic and literary seminars and conferences. The countries cooperate on museum and library projects as well as in the film industry.
The cooperation in the field of tourism is also developing. The year of 2018 was designated as Russian-Indian Year of Tourism.
According to the Indian Ministry of Tourism, in 2018, the number of Russian tourists in India showed a 30 percent increase. The number of Indian tourists in Russia also increased significantly and grew by 27.5 percent last year, with over 80,000 Indians having visited Russia in 2018.
