The Hindu : India, Russia to share intelligence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 12, 2002

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India, Russia to share intelligence

By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

NEW DELHI Nov. 11. An agreement on exchanging intelligence information will be signed between India and Russia during the December 3-5 New Delhi visit of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, as part of the campaign against terrorism. Several other agreements are being worked out.

Mr. Putin's visit is part of the annual summit-level consultations that were instituted between the two countries when the Russian President came to India in December 2000. Last year, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, had travelled to Moscow for the consultations.

According to informed sources, Mr. Putin, who will have a banquet hosted in his honour by the President, Abdul Kalam, is likely to address a joint FICCI-CII gathering apart from speaking to the strategic community.

The continuing war against terrorism, Iraq, Afghanistan, India-Pakistan relations and defence cooperation are likely to top the agenda for talks between Mr. Putin and Mr. Vajpayee.

As far as defence cooperation is concerned, India and Russia are expected to continue negotiations on the purchase of Admiral Gorshkov, an aircraft carrier, and transfer of technology related to the manufacture of the Su-30 MKI and T-90 tanks.

The agreements likely to be signed include those in the areas of disaster management cooperation, intellectual property rights, a regional agreement between Karnataka and the Samara region in Russia, as well as an accord on cultural exchanges.

In preparation for the Putin visit, the Russian Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, Ilya Klebanov, will be in New Delhi on November 21-22.

Mr. Klebanov is co-chairman of the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Co-operation and the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission for Military-Technical Co-operation. An official statement said that Mr. Klebanov's visit "will help prepare for the summit-level talks between the two countries''. While the general cooperation talks will take place with the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, military cooperation will be discussed between Mr. Klebanov and the Defence Minister, George Fernandes.

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