MOSCOW, October 18 (RIA Novosti) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will travel to Moscow next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks expected to focus on cooperation in the defense sector, the Kremlin said Friday.
The visit comes against the backdrop of a slump in Russia’s traditionally strong position on the Indian arms market in the face of fierce competition from US and European competitors and after failure by Moscow to fulfill several contracts.
Singh will pay an official three-day visit to Moscow from October 20 for the 14th India-Russia Annual Summit. He is due to hold talks with Putin on October 21.
Notwithstanding some hitches, India remains a leading buyer of Russian weaponry and is taking part in a number of joint projects with Russia on the development of advanced military equipment.
The Kremlin statement listed several recent achievements in Russian-Indian military and technical cooperation, including the delivery in July of the last in a series of three Trikand-class missile frigates built for the Indian Navy and the upcoming handover of the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier to India in November.
“Joint projects on the development of a fifth-generation fighter jet, a multi-purpose transport aircraft and BrahMos cruise missiles are being implemented successfully,” the Kremlin said.
The agenda for the Moscow summit also includes discussions on bilateral trade and a variety of global issues, with a particular focus on the situation in Afghanistan and Syria.
A joint statement reflecting the approaches of the two countries to the development of bilateral strategic partnership, including progress in trade and economic cooperation and coordination of collaboration on pressing international issues, is expected to be signed following the summit, the Kremlin said.
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