New Delhi(IANS) : Ahead of his two-day visit to Moscow Sunday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dispelled the impression about a chill in bilateral ties, saying he was “optimistic” about the future of strategic partnership between India and Russia which is “based on deep mutual trust and understanding”.
The prime minister also underlined the importance of Russia to India’s energy security and outlined prospects for expanding civil nuclear energy cooperation between India and Russia, an influential member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group.
“Russia occupies a special and unique place in India’s foreign relations. Our time-tested relationship is based on deep mutual trust and understanding,” Manmohan Singh said in an interview to Russian Ria Novosti news agency.
Underlining a commonality of “geo-political interests” between the two countries, Manmohan Singh batted vigorously for the strategic partnership with Russia that envisages a strong role for the United Nations in creating “a peaceful, secure and prosperous world order”.
“India and Russia present a unique example of two large states with a strong interest in a peaceful, secure and prosperous world order and high stakes in the orderly functioning of the international system,” the prime minister said.
“I am very optimistic about the future of our strategic partnership with Russia,” he stressed.
Alluding to the launching of the ‘Year of Russia in India’ in 2008 and the ‘Year of India in Russia’ in 2009, the prime minister said the trajectory of future ties will “be based on the solid foundation of the last sixty years”.
“Indo-Russian relations will grow to great heights. I see a continuing convergence and similarity of our worldviews on major international issues,” he said.
“We have a shared destiny, and a common neighbourhood where we seek to build an atmosphere of peace, stability and cooperation. India and Russia will continue to work together to shape an equitable international order which reflects contemporary realities,” the prime minister stressed.
Manmohan Singh’s enthusiastic remarks affirming time-tested ties between India and Russia come amid speculation that Moscow sought to downgrade the official status of his visit and President Putin was reluctant to host a banquet in his honour, as is the customary practice with official visits.
The prime minister’s vision of the future of India-Russia relations is also aimed at correcting the impression in some quarters that New Delhi’s growing strategic and economic engagement with Washington is coming in the way of its time-tested ties with Moscow.
Stressing on India’s growing energy needs fuelled by a fast expanding economy, the prime minister outlined India’s plan to produce 20,000 MW of nuclear power by 2020 and Russia’s pre-eminent role in achieving this target.
“International civil nuclear energy cooperation will enable us to augment our nuclear energy production. We are grateful for Russia’s ongoing partnership in the construction of nuclear power units in India,” he said.
During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in January, the two countries adopted a joint statement on cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy.
A memorandum of intent for the construction of four additional power reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, built with Russian assistance, was also signed.
The two countries are expected to sign an agreement for building of the four additional reactors after Manmohan Singh’s talks with Putin in Moscow Monday.
The prime minister underlined that trade between the two countries was much below potential and called for diversification of trade and investment that could scale up bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2010.
He cited relatively high transportation costs and inadequate exchanges between Indian and Russian businessmen as some of the reasons for disappointing quantum of bilateral trade.
Describing Russia as “India’s most important partner in defence cooperation,” the prime minister said many defence contracts are at various stages of implementation.
“Joint research, development and production of defence equipment will continue to play an important role in strengthening India’s strategic partnership with Russia,” he said amid worries in Moscow that New Delhi may cut down supplies of defence hardware from Russia due to its growing ties with the US.