India Expects Russian Defense Minister Shoigu's Visit By Year-End - Ambassador

India Expects Russian Defense Minister Shoigu's Visit by Year-End - Ambassador

Indian authorities are waiting for Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to visit the country by the end of this year, Indian Ambassador in Moscow D. Bala Venkatesh Varma told Sputnik on Wednesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2020) Indian authorities are waiting for Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to visit the country by the end of this year, Indian Ambassador in Moscow D. Bala Venkatesh Varma told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"There were a number of visits to Russia last year. So we expect a number of other visits to India this year. Especially, Defense Minister Shoigu will visit India toward the end of the year," the ambassador said.

The diplomat recalled that in November, Moscow hosted a meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation, with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh attending it. All issues of defense industry cooperation were discussed in detail back then, according to the ambassador.

Speaking about other planned visits of Russian officials, Varma noted that Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov would attend DefExpo in Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow in February.

Russia and India maintain active defense industry cooperation. In October 2018, the two countries signed a $5 billion contract on the deliveries of Russian-made S-400 systems to India. In November 2019, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said that Moscow and New Delhi were coordinating a program of defense industry cooperation until 2030.