NEW DELHI, December 5. /TASS/. Moscow and New Delhi have agreed to deepen cooperation along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), unlocking potential cargo volumes of around 5 mln tonnes in both directions. The agreements also include an expansion of cooperation in small-scale nuclear energy, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev told Izvestia.
"We agreed on more substantial cooperation along the NSR. What we see here is that from nuclear energy we are expanding cooperation toward the Northern Sea Route, and we estimate potential cargo traffic at a minimum of 5 mln tonnes between Russian ports and India. The transit that currently goes through the Suez Canal could very well be used by Indian partners within the Northern Sea Route framework," he said.
In addition, according to Likhachev, Moscow and New Delhi have agreements to broaden cooperation in the nuclear sphere in the area of small-capacity technologies, including floating nuclear power plants, as well as to involve Indian partners in developing fourth-generation nuclear energy. Indian partners are particularly interested in the floating nuclear power plant option, he noted.
"A dedicated working group has been established between India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Rosatom, and it is addressing all these issues," Likhachev concluded.
Russia’s Transport Ministry said earlier following meetings between Minister Andrey Nikitin and his Indian counterparts that Russia and India are interested in strengthening cooperation along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the NSR, and also intend to work together in the construction of bridges and tunnels.
As part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to India, a series of international meetings was held between the relevant ministries and agencies of the two countries. According to the ministry, Nikitin discussed the development of land transport and infrastructure with India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Jairam Gadkari. "Special attention was given to bridge and tunnel construction, and the parties agreed to sign an interagency memorandum on cooperation in this sphere ‘on the sidelines’ of the International Transport and Logistics Forum," the statement said.
Nikitin also discussed prospects for developing shipping and joint personnel training during talks with India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal. "The parties noted their mutual interest in strengthening cooperation along the North-South ITC and the Northern Sea Route," the ministry reported.
Additionally, during negotiations with India’s Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor, a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation in the transport sector and the prospects for establishing transport connectivity in the region were discussed.