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Vladimir Putin to meet Indian Prime Minister

Russia’s share in the supply of military equipment to India is declining, because Delhi is aiming for the diversification of military-technical ties

MOSCOW, October 21 (Itar-Tass). — Negotiations begin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will begin in Moscow on Monday. Media do not expect any breakthrough from the 14th summit meeting. The parties have not agreed on the terms of building of the third and fourth reactors of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant and Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane’s production facility in India. The sides are expected to sign a number of agreements in the economy and technology spheres.

Russia’s share in the supply of military equipment to India is declining, because Delhi is aiming for the diversification of military-technical ties, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper writes. Nevertheless, Russia remains the main partner of India in this sphere. Moreover, Singh has said, Delhi hopes for the launch of the joint production of the fifth-generation fighter jet and a transport aircraft.

Despite the planned signing at the summit of only six agreements - less than in previous years, the negotiations are to help the two countries to almost double their trade volume by 2015, the Kommersant daily writes. The two countries remain focused on military-technical cooperation.

The 14th Russian-Indian summit will take place 10 months after the previous one, held in Delhi in December, the newspaper recalls. That summit was the most problem-plagued one ever. The reasons were the toughening of the requirements by Delhi to Russia at the negotiations on the construction of the third and fourth reactors of the Kudankulam NPP, uncertainty surrounding the transfer of the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier to India, as well as forcing out of Russia’s JSFC Sistema from the Indian market after the revocation by the Indian Supreme Court of licenses of its Indian subsidiary Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd.

By the current summit, the sides have managed to either overcome or stop the main differences.

According to the Kommersant sources, an agreement on long-term lease of second Russian nuclear submarine to India may become a positive surprise of the summit.

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