Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in India today to hold the 21st annual India-Russia summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi and President Putin will begin the summit talks at 5:30 pm and the Russian leader will emplane from Delhi at 9:30 pm.
Both the countries are set to ink a raft of pacts to further boost cooperation in key areas of defence, trade and investment, energy and technology at the summit talks. In the summit as well as in the inaugural '2+2' defence and foreign ministerial talks, the two sides are also expected to focus on the situation in Afghanistan and the rising threat of terrorism including from groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Ahead of the summit, India has cleared the long-pending AK 203 Kalashnikov rifles deal worth nearly Rs 5,000 crore for production of over five lakh such rifles at Korwa in Amethi by an Indo-Russian joint venture.
Here's what's all on agenda?
- Prime Minister Modi and President Putin will hold a one-on-meeting before the 21st India-Russia summit.
- Joint statement over cross-border terrorism and the security implications arising out of the Afghan crisis.
- The two sides are likely to wrap up the final phase of negotiations for a logistics support agreement, which is likely to be signed either during the two-plus-two talks or at the summit.
- Both nations are also set to renew for the next decade a framework for military-technical cooperation besides
- Announcement of a joint commission on technology and science
- Both sides may deliberate on the long-pending project for joint production of 200 twin-engine Kamov-226T light helicopters for Indian armed forces.
- India is likely to apprise the Russian side about its position on the eastern Ladakh border row as well as its concerns over various regional developments.
- A dinner will also be hosted for the Russian leader.
The day will begin with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's talks with his Russian counterpart Shoygu under the framework of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation.
Separately, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Lavrov. Then the foreign and defence ministers of the two sides will hold the '2+2' dialogue at 11:30 am.
The pacts to be signed will cover a wide range of areas including trade, energy, culture, defence and technology. Besides government-to-government agreements, a number of other pacts are also set to be firmed up on the sidelines of the summit.
The last India-Russia Annual Summit was held in September 2019 during the visit of Modi to Vladivostok. The annual summit could not take place last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both the countries have a mechanism under which India's prime minister and the Russian president hold a summit meeting annually to review the entire gamut of ties. So far 20 annual summit meetings have taken place alternatively in India and Russia.
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