Russian envoy said US defence ties with India is nothing near the level of advanced technology transfer Moscow offers…reports Asian Lite News
Russia on Monday said that ties between New Delhi and Moscow are under stress because of the ongoing geopolitical shifts which accelerated last year in Europe due to crossing of red lines and the US-led intereference.
In a forum discussion in Delhi, Russian envoy Denis Alipov said that although the ties between India and Russia are not so comprehensive as of now, the relations between the two countries have always been friendly, equal, trusted and robust. Taking a sharp dig at the United States, the Russian Ambassador to India said that Russian technology is quite advanced and that Moscow doesn’t mix technology transfer with politics, unlike the US which is rather good at “advertising.”
“Sometimes it’s amusing to read about the US posting about its defence cooperation with India as it offers something exclusive. Nothing near the level of advanced technology transfer we do offer. What the US is good at though is advertising including the poor performance of Russian weapons in Ukraine,” Alipov said while speaking on Russia-India defence cooperation, adding that the level of defence cooperation between the two nations is unprecedented.
Notably, the Centre for Global India Insights (CGII) hosted a forum discussion ‘Next Steps in India-Russia Strategic Partnership: Old Friends, New Horizons’ in New Delhi today in order to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1993 Treaty of India-Russia Friendship Treaty.
“Our relations have always been friendly, equal, trusted and robust. Maybe not so comprehensive as we want them to be, but still very much diversified, mutually beneficial and supportive…respecting each other’s interests and meeting core aspirations of our nations,” the Russian Ambassador said during the address.
Speaking further, he said that Russia supports India in mission Gaganyaan. The ‘Gaganyaan’ programme, is notably India’s maiden human space mission which is scheduled to take place in 2023.
During his address at the forum, the Russian envoy highlighted the treaty of 1993 and stated how it became a building block of current extensive bilateral legal framework between India and Russia.
“We have formed a very rich bilateral architecture, maintain active contacts with various levels, the annual summits. There are inter-governmental commissions and inter-parliamentary commissions,” Alipov said.
He further underscored how economic cooperation was able to achieve impressive results in 2022 as mutual trade broke a record of USD 30 billion between the two countries.
Space, scientific and technological cooperation continue to remain a priority of India and Russia. The two nations continue to see cooperation in the fields of quantum and biotechnology, artificial intelligence, fundamental and applied physics and medical science as well.
Moreover, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will be taking part in the G2O Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi from March 1-2, Russian news agency TASS reported citing Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.
The G20 presidency of India, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be inclusive, ambitious, definite, and action-oriented.
This year, the G20 presidency is being held by India, and the annual G20 summit is slated to take place in the national capital in September. (ANI)
‘S-400 supply to be completed soon’
Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov said that Moscow will soon complete the supplies of the third regiment of the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems to India as both sides are committed to the contract.
“It will be completed in the very near future…Both sides are committed to complete the whole contract and we certainly will do that. Nothing prevents that,” said Alipov. “Russia and India are committed to all agreements, including the contract for the advanced S-400 Triumf air defence systems that is being implemented.”
Asked whether he sees any role for India in ending the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Alipov said Moscow is open to any serious talks on ending it diplomatically, news agency PTI reported.
“As my foreign minister says that we are open to any serious proposition whosoever offers them. We are open to any serious talks on ending it diplomatically,” he added. “At the moment, there are none. If India wants to take a more active part in that, we will certainly listen to India very very closely and we will examine all the proposals in a very serious manner,” he said.
The Russian envoy also described his country’s defence ties with India as “unprecedented”, it was reported.
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