Putin arrives today; defence, strategic issues on the agenda

India and Russia will hold the first 2+2 format dialogue in New Delhi on Monday, and discuss key bilateral, regional and international issues, including the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s day-long visit, according to officials.

The two nations have been putting the finishing touches to agreements in defence, trade, space, technology and energy that are expected to be signed during the annual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin.

Ahead of Putin’s visit, the Indian government has already cleared a plan for the joint production of more than 500,000 AK-203 assault rifles with Russia to boost self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

The annual summit – which has been held since 2000 – will be preceded by meetings between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu and external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, and the inaugural 2+2 dialogue of the defence and foreign ministers.

The ministers are expected to hold in-depth discussions of the key regional and international topics, including the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and developments in Afghanistan and Syria, as well as exchange views on interaction within the SCO and Russia, India and China (RIC), the Russian embassy has said.

Several agreements to deepen cooperation in defence, trade, space, technology, energy and culture are expected to be inked during the summit, people familiar with the matter said. The two sides are expected to renew their military-technical cooperation arrangement for 2021-31. A key pact that could be signed is the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS), which will allow militaries of the two nations to access logistics and support facilities at each other’s bases.

The joint statement to be issued after the summit is expected to reflect India’s concerns over cross-border terror and the fallout of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the people said. Modi and Putin had decided in August to have close consultations on Afghanistan and the two sides are coordinating on common concerns, the people added.

Days before the summit, the government approved the plan to manufacture AK-203 rifles at a factory at Amethi in Uttar Pradesh under a joint venture called Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited that was formed by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited and Munitions India Limited and Russia’s Rosoboronexport and Kalashnikov.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday took up the ₹5,100-crore project. The AK-203 rifles will replace INSAS rifles inducted more than three decades ago. “The approval reflects the paradigm shift in defence acquisition from buy (global) to Make in India. The endeavour also reflects the deepening partnership between the two countries,” said an official.

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