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India, Russia ink 28 pacts, decide to expand cooperation in dealing with terrorismIndia has also begun to receive S-400 missiles from Russia this month, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said
PTI
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PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: AFP Photo
PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: AFP Photo

India and Russia signed 28 investment pacts on Monday, including deals on steel, shipbuilding, coal and energy, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said. India has also begun to receive S-400 missiles from Russia this month, Shringla said, adding that supplies would continue.

The two countries vowed to expand cooperation and coordination in dealing with major challenges like the threat of terrorism and the unfolding situation in Afghanistan.

Shringla described the summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "highly productive". He said 28 agreements that included government-to-government pacts were concluded between the two sides in a number of areas.

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Asked whether India raised the issue of the eastern Ladakh standoff, the foreign secretary only said all concerns relating to India's security were discussed.

At a media briefing, Shringla said Modi and Putin decided to continue close consultation and coordination on Afghanistan. "Both sides were clear that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training or planning any acts of terrorism," he said.

In the meeting, the Russian President said, “We perceive India as a great power, a friendly nation, and a time-tested friend. The relations between our nations are growing and I am looking into the future. Currently, mutual investments stand at about 38 billion with a bit more investment coming from the Russian side. We cooperate greatly in the military and technical sphere like no other country. We develop high technologies together as well as produce in India.

He said that there was a lot of emphasis on counter-terrorism and both sides were clear that this is an area of common interests. Shringla said the two sides also stressed the need to fight cross-border terrorism.
The foreign secretary said there was a discussion in detail about cooperation in the strategic area of energy.

In his initial remarks during talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin described India as a "great power" and a "time-tested" friend. He also expressed concern over the developments in Afghanistan and said India and Russia will continue to coordinate on major challenges facing the region.

"We perceive India as a great power, a friendly nation and a time-tested friend. The relations between our countries are developing and we are looking into the future," Putin said.

Modi said Putin's second visit abroad during the Covid-19 pandemic reflected his personal commitment to the India-Russia ties and that the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two sides was getting stronger.

In the past few decades, the world witnessed many fundamental changes and different kinds of geopolitical equations and variables, but the friendship of India and Russia remained constant, Modi said.

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(Published 06 December 2021, 22:10 IST)