Strengthening Bonds: India and Russia Deepen Strategic Relations During Rajnath's Visit to Moscow
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Moscow/New Delhi, Dec 10 (NationPress) Reaffirming India's dedication to its Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership with Russia, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday highlighted fresh opportunities for increasing the involvement of Russian industries in the 'Make in India' initiatives while emphasizing New Delhi's resolve to bolster the capabilities of its domestic defence sector across various domains and promote industrial collaboration.
Singh engaged in discussions with Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov in Moscow and co-chaired the 21st session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC).
He asserted that the India-Russia relationship is “very strong”, having upheld the responsibilities of a special and privileged strategic partnership, and noted that the long-standing ties have been further solidified through recent exchanges, including two visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia in 2024.
“Had a highly productive IRIGC-M&MTC meeting with my Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov in Moscow. Reviewing the full spectrum of bilateral defence relations, we explored avenues to deepen cooperation between our nations. We are committed to further reinforcing the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” he shared on X following the meeting.
Belousov remarked that Russia and India share a robust, time-honoured friendship rooted in mutual respect, emphasizing that the trusting relations between the leaders of the two countries play a pivotal role in fortifying bilateral ties.
“We are always delighted to welcome our Indian colleagues in Russia,” stated the Russian Defence Minister.
“The outcomes of the meetings between President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi in July in Moscow and in October at the BRICS summit in Kazan have served to deepen our particularly privileged strategic partnership, especially in the defence sector. We are dedicated to implementing all agreements reached at the highest level,” he added.
Belousov also congratulated Singh on the inauguration of INS Tushil and expressed that the operationalization of the Military Technical Cooperation agreement for 2021-31 would provide the necessary impetus to the 'Make in India' initiative.
During their discussions, both sides deliberated extensively on pressing issues related to military and military-technical cooperation.
The Russian Defence Minister acknowledged the “good level” of Indian-Russian military collaboration in multilateral formats, including within the frameworks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and ADMM-Plus.
“I am confident that our meeting will bolster Russian-Indian relations in the areas of defence and security,” stated Belousov.
Earlier, the Indian delegation received a warm welcome at the Russian Defence Ministry in Central Moscow, where Singh inspected a Guard of Honour.
Defence Minister Singh also laid a wreath at 'The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier' in Moscow to honor the memory of Soviet soldiers who perished during the Second World War.
