At a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday expressed his country’s willingness to support India’s initiative to produce military equipment as part of the ‘Made In India’ programme.
Mr Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Russia, announced that the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union will resume in January next year.
Mr Lavrov said he and Mr Jaishankar have discussed a number of steps that would expand cooperation between India and Russia, including the launch of the North-South International Transport Corridor as well as establishment of the Chennai Vladivostok route.
Addressing a press conference after his meeting with the Indian minister, Mr Lavrov said, “We have also discussed the prospects of military and technical cooperation, including the joint production of modern weaponry. We also have specific steps in the area. Our cooperation is of strategic nature, strengthening it corresponds to the national interests of states, the interests of Security in the Eurasian continent.”
“As mentioned before, we are respectful of the aspiration of our Indian colleagues to diversify their military and technical links. We also understand and hence we are ready to support their initiative to produce military products as part of the ‘Made in India’ programme. We stand ready to cooperate in this area. We have reaffirmed our aspiration to strengthen energy cooperation,” he added.
Lavrov said he and Jaishankar agreed to expand the legal framework of India-Russia relations, in particular to accelerate the adoption of the agreement on the mutual protection of investment.
Mr Jaishankar paid rich tributes to the India-Russia relationship, saying the two countries have lived up to the responsibilities of a special and privileged strategic partnership. He also spoke about the personal equation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.