Indo-Russian strategic partnership to get `privileged` status

Moscow, Dec 20 (PTI) India and Russia are expected to
give "privileged" status to their strategic partnership during
the upcoming visit of President Dmitry Medvedev as the two
sides are likely to break new ground in defence, nuclear and
energy sectors, Kremlin sources said on Monday.
Medvedev, who is scheduled to arrive in India on
Monday night, will hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Over the past decade, the Indo-Russian strategic
partnership has acquired a new quality and the leaders of the
two nations, in their joint statement to be issued on Tuesday
after the New Delhi summit, are to underscore the "privileged"
character of the partnership, the sources said.
Ten years ago during the then President Vladimir
Putin's maiden India visit, the two countries had signed a
declaration of strategic partnership, it was a new concept in
bilateral relations.
"Based on long traditions of friendship it presupposes
close coordination of foreign policy approaches on a wide
range of international and regional issues, trade and economic
cooperation, deepening of the military-technical cooperation,
enrichment of cultural programmes and expansion of
person-to-person contacts," Kremlin said while elaborating the
concept of 'privileged strategic partnership'.
However, over the past decade the very term "strategic
partnership" coined at that time to reflect "special"
character of Indo-Russian relations was devalued as it is very
frequently used by countries, including Russia and India in
their relations with other nations.
"But over this period Russian-Indian relations in
principle have achieved a new level, which can be
characterised as 'Privileged Strategic Partnership', and this
formula will be fixed in the joint statement after Tuesday's
summit," the sources said.
Russian Ambassador to India Alexander M Kadakin had
said last week that the two sides are expected to sign around
15 pacts including on the cutting edge Fifth Generation
Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) and to build more nuclear reactors in
India.
Ruslan Pukhov, a top Russian defence expert, said the
military cooperation with India, a major pillar of the
strategic partnership, over the past decade has really
acquired "privileged" character.
"The type of military-technical cooperation Russia has
with India, it has with no other country of the world.
Joint development of FGFA, multirole transport
aircraft JV, leasing nuclear submarine are some of the most
sensitive projects, which characterise the highest degree of
trust between the two countries," said Pukhov.