newspaper headlines pm leaves for moscow explain
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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is leaving for Moscow on Sunday on a three-day visit for the annual structured summit with President Vladimir Putin. Despite India's deepening ties with the United States, successive Indian governments have made sure that it is not at the cost of old ally Russia.
Though India's political relations with Russia are excellent, trade and commerce between the two countries have suffered since the breakdown of the old Soviet order. Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran himself admitted that trade figures between the two countries have gone down to a paltry $1.8 billion dollars. Both countries are now hoping to extend the partnership beyond military hardware to newer fields. A study group has already been set up to explore ways of expanding economic partnership between the two countries A group of prominent businessmen will be accompanying the Prime Minister to Moscow.
With India's growth rate galloping, the country is in the look out for energy partnership with Russia. It is already involved in Sakhalin 1, and is now looking at exploration block in Sakhalin 3. Russian construction companies are also interested in the India-Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, as also in the Turkmenistan, India, Afghanistan line. India is also looking for equity partnership with Russian gas and oil companies.
India is also eager to change its defence relations with Russia from that of vendor and client to joint research, production and partnership in military hardware. The Brahmos missile developed jointly by Indian and Russian scientists is exactly the kind of new engagement in defence India is now looking at. The two countries are also looking at developing and producing a medium range transport aircraft.
An intellectual property rights agreement in defence cooperation will now be signed and extended to 2010. The intellectual property rights agreement is essential to ensure that neither country can pass on the technology to a third country.