India, Russia agree to cooperate in field of helicopter engineering, railways

Kremlin: India and Russia on Thursday signed 16 agreements across sectors, including in the field of helicopter engineering, railways and hydrocarbon.

The agreements were signed after the delegation level talks between the two countries.

Addressing the media after the signing of agreements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India sees Russia as a significant partner in its economic transformation and in shaping a balanced and multi-polar world in future.

He said agreement on manufacture of Kamov 226 helicopter in India is the first project for a major defence platform under ‘Make in India Mission’.

He said India has great respect and appreciation for the two countries’ strategic partnership as it has been a source of strength and success for New Delhi.

On the occasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin said India is a great power carrying out a balanced and responsible foreign policy.

Rosaton, a Russian Nuclear Energy Corporation, will work for localisation of manufacturing in India for Russian-designed Nuclear Reactor Units.

Both nations agreed to simplify the requirements for mutual travels of certain categories of citizens and mutual travel regime for holders of diplomatic and official passports, and welcomed a plan for cooperation for combating custom violations in 2015-17.

Apart from these, both nations sign a plethora of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on technical cooperation in the Railway Sector; construction of solar energy plants in India; development of Centre of Excellence for heavy engineering design at HEC; upgradation and modernisation of HEC’s manufacturing facilities; cooperation in the field of broadcasting; Tripartite MoU between C-DAC, IISc Banglore and Lomonosov, Moscow State University (MSU) and Tripartite MoU between C-DAC, OJSC “GLONASS” and GLONASS Union.

Besides these, MoUs also signed in the field of investment cooperation in the Russia Far East; cooperation for geologic survey, exploration and production of hydrocarbons onshore and on the continental shelf of the Russian Federation; confirmation of successful completion of the first stage pre-completion actions in relation to the creation of a JV in JSC VakorNeft; and cooperation for geologic survey, exploration and production of hydrocarbons onshore the Russian Federation.

ANI