New Delhi [India], December 2 (ANI): Russia has reaffirmed that its defense partnership with India remains strategic and is evolving toward deeper technological and industrial collaboration. In an interview ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to India, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said that joint development, co-production, and localization have become central pillars of the relationship.
Manturov emphasized that Russia continues to be one of India’s most significant defense partners, noting that over the past decade Moscow has consistently accounted for more than 30 percent of India’s total defense procurements. “The military-technical cooperation between our countries is of strategic importance, strengthening and developing each year,” he said.
According to Manturov, the cooperation is increasingly shifting from traditional supply contracts to long-term technological partnerships. “The main vector of our partnership has shifted toward technological cooperation, including with respect to the ‘Make in India’ initiative,” he noted.
Addressing speculation about the S-400 air defense system, Manturov confirmed that the delivery schedule remains firmly on track. “The contract is executed within the timeframes agreed upon by the parties,” he said.
Russia has been a longstanding and reliable partner of India. The development of India–Russia relations has been a key pillar of India’s foreign policy. Since the signing of the “Declaration on the India–Russia Strategic Partnership” in October 2000 during President Putin’s visit, the bilateral relationship has acquired a new character with enhanced cooperation across political, security, defense, trade, economic, scientific, technological, cultural, and people-to-people domains.
During President Putin’s visit to India in December 2010, the partnership was elevated to the level of a “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” further strengthening the multi-dimensional cooperation between the two countries.
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