Military-technical cooperation between India, Russia developing steadily, ambassador says

BrahMos

NEW DELHI, September 14. /TASS/. Denis Alipov, Russia’s ambassador to India, on Wednesday said military-technical cooperation between Russia and India is steadily developing in accordance with the new requirements.

"Our cooperation in this area is steadily progressing in accordance with the new requirements," he told TASS in an interview. "We see in them many opportunities for expanding the practice of joint production and advanced research and development."

The diplomat said the sides had already begun to talk about this substantively at the 2019 summit in Vladivostok, when an intergovernmental agreement was signed on the joint production of spare parts and components and maintenance of military equipment of domestic origin, including with the prospect of providing such services to the markets of third countries.

According to Alipov, the distinctive features of Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation include mutual readiness to take into account each other's interests, as well as a high degree of adaptability to changing conditions.

"It's a truly time-tested partnership. Russia is the only country that is ready to share advanced technologies with New Delhi," he said.

The Russian ambassador added that the two countries had joint ventures and agreements on the localization of production long before India adopted a state policy to achieve self-sufficiency of its military-industrial complex through cooperation with other nations.

"We are talking about the assembly of T-90 tanks, Su-30MKI fighter jets and other areas. Moreover, one of our most successful joint ventures for the production of BrahMos supersonic missiles is confidently entering the markets of third countries. These weapons will be supplied to the Philippines, while other countries are also showing interest in them. That means we are also helping our Indian friends to follow a course of boosting exports of defense products," Alipov said.