By Mubasshir Mushtaq
NEW DELHI
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi strengthened the waning India-Russia strategic relationship on Thursday, with a pledge to remain Russia's "most important defense partner."
Modi said the two countries shared a relationship “incomparable in content” during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was visiting Delhi for the 15th Annual India-Russia Summit.
“President Putin is leader of a great nation with which we have a friendship of unmatched mutual confidence, trust and goodwill,” Modi said, allaying concerns that India's developing ties wit the U.S. were isolating its decades-old defense partnership with Russia.
“The character of global politics and international relations is changing. However, the importance of this relationship and its unique place in India’s foreign policy will not change,” Modi said.
India and Russia signed 20 agreements in the field of defence, nuclear energy, oil exploration and other areas like combating terrorism and tackling extremism, as well as a deal for India to manufacture Russia’s most advanced helicopters.
“I also proposed that Russia should locate manufacturing facilities in India for spares and components of Russian defence equipment in India. He responded very positively to my request,” Modi said.
India agreed for setting up of second nuclear reactor site with the help of Russian-designed nuclear power.
“India agrees to expeditiously identify a 2nd site, in addition to Kudankulam, for Russian-designed nuclear power units in India,” Akbaruddin wrote on Twitter.
Russia has helped India set up nuclear reactor in Kundankulam in southern state Tamil Nadu, with a 1,000-megawatt capacity which will become fully operational in 2015.
Modi said that both countries have outlined an “ambitious vision” for nuclear energy for at least 10 more reactors.
President Putin said that state-owned nuclear agency RusAtom plans to construct more than 20 nuclear units in India.
Putin added that his country is willing to cooperate in the development of low orbit spacecraft.
At a time when Russia has been shunned by the West over its intervention in Ukraine, India has remained its longest-standing ally in th
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