India is now facing challenges and aggression arising from extraordinary militarization in its neighborhood. As per the research done by Prittle Prattle official, on the northern border, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at the inaugural Indo-Russia’ 2+2′ dialogue even as the two nations inked an agreement for joint production of over six lakh AK-203 rifles and extended military cooperation till 2031.
Apart from Singh, the ‘2+2’ foreign and defense talks were attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Russian Defence Minister Gen Sergey Shoigu. The ministers discussed strategically important bilateral and regional challenges.
On Rajnath and Shoigu meeting, the India- Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) the two sides inked the agreement for joint production of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles at a manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi. It extended the pact on military cooperation for ten years.
The rifles are manufactured for the Indian armed forces at around Rs 5000 crore. The ten years pact on military cooperation is a renewal of an existing framework. Singh said that the pandemic, the extraordinary militarization and expansion of weaponry in India’s neighborhood, and the aggression on the northern border since early summer of 2020 have thrown in several challenges. At the same time, he said India would overcome these challenges with strong political will and its people’s inherent ability. The defense minister added that recognizing the development needs are enormous and that its defense challenges are legitimate, genuine, and immediate. India needs sensitive and responsive partners to India’s expectations and requirements.
Singh hopes that Russia will remain a significant partner for India in the changing circumstances. He added that for the self-reliance of India from the Ministry of Defence, they have urged for greater military-technical collaboration, advanced research, co-development, and co-production of defense equipment. He proposed more significant engagements in Central Asia and the Indian Ocean Region. Since India is a continuation of the vast Eurasian landmass and at the same time central in the enormous Indian Ocean region, he said, they are optimistic about Russia’s cooperation in all the domains.
Referring to his meeting with Shoigu, Sing said he had discussed the emerging challenges India is facing and India’s enhanced requirement for closer military and military-technical cooperation with Russia. Jaishankar said ties between India and Russia have been “close and time-tested” in this rapid world of change. He said, “They (the ties) have been exceptionally steady.” They plan to meet at a critical juncture in the global geopolitical environment, which is in great flux after the Covid-19 pandemic. Jaishankar said that India and Russia have been working together as close friends and strategic partners to safeguard common interests and ensure peace, progress, and prosperity.
The External affairs minister said that the situation in Afghanistan has broader effects, including for central Asia. Shoigu said bilateral military-technical cooperation is essential in India-Russia relations and that he and Singh had finalized plans for future collaboration.
Russian foreign minister Lavrov said the 2+2 ministerial dialogue mechanism would further expand traditional understanding and help reinforce the bilateral unique and privileged strategic partnership. Russia and India have a similar worldview of a more poly-centric, more multi-polar, more equitable world order. They advocate identical or identical positions on the most important political and military issues. Singh, in his tweets, said India values its unique and privileged strategic partnership with Russia. India profoundly appreciates Russia’s strong support for India.
This news was curated by Prittle Prattle News with the help of information provided by PTI.
