Hanoi (VNA) – President of Russia Vladimir Putin has granted an interview to Sputnik news agency and radio and IANS News Agency on Russia-India relations.
The following is the full text of the interview.
“Question: Russian-Indian relations can be qualified as privileged strategic partnership. As to the economy, a perfect example of this point is cooperation in atomic energy, in particular, the construction of the Kudankulam NPP. What other areas of Russian-Indian cooperation can speak to a similar success?
“President of Russia Vladimir Putin: India is Russia's especially privileged strategic partner. Cooperation between our countries is making good headway in all areas on the basis of strong traditions of friendship, trust and mutual respect.
“Russia and India are allies in ensuring strategic security and stability, and building an equitable world order. We work closely within the leading multilateral organisations such as BRICS, the G20, and the UN.
“This October marks 16 years of the signing of the key instrument for Russian-Indian relations, the Declaration on Strategic Partnership. We have done much to further the entire mechanism of bilateral ties during this period.
“The two countries maintain active political dialogue, with summits taking place every year. The Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation is also working efficiently. Our foreign ministers, heads of staff of security councils and line ministries keep in touch on a regular basis. There is a gradual increase in inter-parliamentary, interregional, business and humanitarian exchanges. We have developed a strong legal framework featuring over 250 agreements.
“India has been and remains Russia's major foreign trade partner. Even though in 2015 trade between the countries dropped by 7.8 percent, together with our Indian partners, we are resolved to overcome the negative trend, which, in our opinion, is largely associated with volatility on the global markets and in exchange rates. Especially since our commercial exchanges are mutually beneficial and their structure shows the complementarity of the two economies. Chemicals and engineering products account for a considerable share of Russia’s exports and the exports from your country.
“The energy sector plays an important role in trade and economic cooperation between Russia and India. Construction of the Kudankulam NPP is the largest long-term project. In August 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I took part in a ceremony dedicated to the handover of the first unit of the Kudankulam NPP to the Republic of India. The second unit will be put into operation in the near future. Operation of the first and second units at their rated capacity will significantly increase the energy supply in India and strengthen its energy security.
“Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India began preparations for the construction of units 3 and 4. Works are being carried out according to the agreed schedule. The project is implemented with funding from the Russian Federation: the government loan stands at $3.4 billion, or 85 percent of the total value of contracts concluded with the Russian organisations. We are now working on the localisation of component manufacturing in India. We began assessing the construction of nuclear power plants at other sites in India. Technological cooperation in the field of uranium enrichment is being established.
“We are strengthening bilateral cooperation in the conventional energy sector. During the St Petersburg International Economic Forum held in June 2016, Rosneft and an Indian consortium signed a contract for the sale of 23.9 percent of shares in Vankorneft, which owns the Vankor field in the Krasnoyarsk Region. Besides, Rosneft sold a stake of shares in the Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha, a company developing a field in East Siberia, to Indian companies.
“Improving the structure of goods turnover by increasing the deliveries of high technology products and developing industrial cooperation is a topical issue. Well-known Russian companies, such as Silovye Mashiny, Gazprom, Stroytransgaz, Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), Uralmashzavod, SIBUR Holding, Mechel, KAMAZ and many others, are operating in the Indian market.
“Implementation of large promising projects is underway in engineering, chemical and mining industries, aircraft engineering, pharmaceuticals, medicine, nano- and biotechnology. Cooperation in finance and banking, which involves, among others, the VTB Bank and Sberbank of Russia, is advancing. It is obvious that the Russian companies see real prospects and high attractiveness of the Indian market.
“Our countries actively collaborate in the military technical field. Russia remains in the lead in terms of both direct supplies of most advanced weapons and military equipment and conducting joint researches with India, as well as producing goods for military purposes. The construction of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the development of a new, fifth generation fighter aircraft are mong the successful joint projects.
“Let me add that many of the Russian projects in India not only have commercial importance but also play a significant social and economic role for the economies of the two countries. They harmoniously fit in the new Indian industrialisation programme proposed by Mr Modi.
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