Mar. 11 – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi today with an ambitious agenda scheduled for his two-day trip – expecting to authorize as many as 14 agreements worth more than US$10 billion.
The agreements will largely focus on defensive deals, including the completion of the Russian-made aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and 29 MiG-29 fighter jets. Russia and India have enjoyed a longstanding partnership as they rank among the world’s largest arms exporters and importers, respectively.
During Prime Minister Putin’s visit, the two countries will also discuss India’s nuclear market, which Russia already has started to invest in. Russia is currently building two reactors at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in southern Tamil Nadu.
India and Russia signed a nuclear-energy cooperation agreement this past December that will permit Russia’s state-owned nuclear company, Rosatom Corp., to negotiate new contracts in Kudankulam.
Putin is also expected to talk about bilateral trade relations during the visit as he tries to increase the current value of US$8 billion up to US$20 billion by 2015.
