Russia eyes new strategic vision of cooperation with India

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Russia is eyeing a new "strategic vision" of bilateral cooperation with India in areas like nuclear energy and hopes this will be taken forward during President Vladimir Putin's visit to India later this year for the annual summit between the two countries, Deputy Prime Minister Dimitry Rogozin has said.

"In the near future, we should arrive at a new strategic vision of bilateral cooperation in important high-tech areas. This, above all, means work in the field of nuclear energy, in the study and exploration of outer space, and in the aviation industry, including the joint development of multi-role transport aircraft and a fifth generation fighter jet," Rogozin told Russian news agency ITAR-TASS in an interview here at the end of his two-day official visit on Thursday.

"If Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorses such an approach, the recent political developments in India would have turned out to be a big plus for us," added Rogozin, the first high-level Russian official to have interacted with the new Indian leadership. a

Speaking of the Putin visit, Rogozin said: "It is imperative that at the summit, the new leadership of India can tell its people that when it comes to Russia, clear, fast, and significant results have been achieved."

"We are hoping for a breakthrough in relations between Russia and India, because the new leadership of this country has, even before this, declared itself in favour of having good relations with Russia", he added.

Rogozin also addressed India's desire for transfer of technology through the domestic production route of joint venture enterprises.

"We have agreed that most of the projects will involve the co-localization of production, for example, weapons and military equipment, or manufacturing of specific products in India", Rogozin said.

"The Indians are great mathematicians and programmers. They have great potential in the field of microelectronics. Moreover, those areas of cooperation - nuclear energy, space exploration and aviation - require a partner with significant intelligence", he added.

During his visit, Rogozin, who co-chairs the India-Russia Inter-governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation, held cosultations with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Rogozin, whose father was part of the Soviet military contingent that came to India in the 1970s, rued that his official visits here left him no time to experience Indian culture.

"I love Indian culture very much...I mostly see New Delhi from the window of my car. Yet I dream about the time when I can just take my wife and go visit the places about which my father told me long ago", Rogozin said.