Defence projects, N-plants - with Russia

AVERAGE INDIAN

EXORCIST
Senior Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
3,325
Likes
5,407
Country flag
Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a huge task ahead


P S Raghavan, who reached Moscow early this morning (13 January) to take charge as the next Indian ambassador to Russia, has an onerous task on hand. Russia is a prime focus country for India. The importance of Russia, a country with which India has traditionally had a very close and strategic partnership for well over four decades, has been accentuated even further for India in the backdrop of recent tensions between India and the United States.

Raghavan, the 1979 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been hand-picked by the Ministry of External Affairs for this sensitive job at a crucial time in Indo-Russian relations when a number of contentious issues demand early resolution. He is taking over at a time when several thorny issues remain unresolved despite very warm political relations between India and Russia. Bilateral trade between the two nations, at $ 12 billion, is well below its true potential.

Key sources well versed with the dynamics of Indo-Russian relations have told this writer that Raghavan's immediate task will be four-fold:

(i) Removing glitches from big-ticket joint defence projects such as the BrahMos missiles and Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft;

(ii) Resolving the ongoing impasse over the 3rd and 4th units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant;

(iii) Diversifying Indo-Russian cooperation in newer areas and giving a boost to cooperation and joint projects in areas such as fertilizers, agriculture, railways and pharmaceuticals;

(iv) Roping in private sector on both sides to give a fillip to bilateral trade and to find newer areas of investment. Russian Offer to India on GLONASS

This writer drew Raghavan's attention to a 24 December, 2013 report in Izvestia entitled "India and Brazil will be offered a stake in the GLONASS" and sought his comments. The Izvestia report said that the Russian government has formed an international consortium for the development of the Russian satellite navigation system.

According to this report, Roscosmos has been instructed to submit its proposals for the formation of a consortium to the government by the end of February 2014. Raghavan's response was as follows: "I have not seen the Izvestia report yet but will definitely look it up. I met the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) chief K Radhakrishnan a day before this report came out but this issue did not come up in our discussions. This issue has been in the Indo-Russian discourse for about a decade and I remember it came up during my tenure at the Prime Minister's Office. But if something new is coming up we will definitely consider it." 35 years of experience in diplomacy

Raghavan, born in 1955, took a B.Sc Honours degree in Physics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University in 1975 and a B.E. degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1978. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1979. He brings with him nearly 35 years of experience in diplomacy. Between 1979 and 1994, he held a number of diplomatic positions in the Indian Missions in Moscow (then USSR), Warsaw (Poland) and London (United Kingdom), interspersed with tenures in the MEA headquarters in New Delhi. In 1994, he was appointed Consul General of India in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and in 1997, Deputy High Commissioner of India to South Africa in Pretoria.

A high point in Raghavan's career was his almost five-year-long stint in the PMO where he was posted as joint secretary from 2000 to 2004, dealing with foreign affairs, atomic energy, space, defence and national security. After this he had two ambassadorial stints: to the Czech Republic (2004-2007) and to Ireland (2007-2011). In January 2012, he was appointed head of the newly-created Development Partnership Administration (DPA) in the MEA headquarters. The DPA is charged with the task of ensuring efficient implementation of India's economic partnership programmes in developing countries.

He was Chief Coordinator of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation [IOR-ARC] Ministerial Conference in Bangalore (November 2011) and of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi (March 2012). In July 2012, Raghavan was Special Envoy of the External Affairs Minister to the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa. Considering his experience in African diplomacy, in August 2012, he was made Indian government's Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, his last responsibility before he begins his most challenging assignment of Indian ambassador to Russia. In March 2013, he was promoted as Special Secretary, in which capacity he headed the Development Partnership Administration as well as the Administration, Establishment and other related Divisions of the Ministry of External Affairs.

In October 2013, he was appointed Secretary (Economic Relations). Key Indian officials believe that the fact that Raghavan is an old Russia/Soviet Union hand and has dealt with defence-related issues extensively during his tenure in the PMO should help him significantly in smoothening rough edges in the Indo-Russian defence relationship. The writer is a Firstpost columnist and strategic analyst who tweets @Kishkindha.

Read more at: Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a huge task ahead | Firstpost
 

ericliang313

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2013
Messages
32
Likes
18
Re: Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a hu

Do you truly think there is a future between Russia and India?
 

AVERAGE INDIAN

EXORCIST
Senior Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
3,325
Likes
5,407
Country flag
Re: Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a hu

Do you truly think there is a future between Russia and India?
yes i do

A perfect example is the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft /Perspective Multi-Role Fighter (FGFA/PMF) project

Russian envoys in India consistently espouse strong support for continued transfer of technology as an integral part of the defense relationship. This is evidenced by another major joint project, the development and production of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. While Russian officials may be exaggerating their willingness to engage in technology transfer across the whole range of military technology, Moscow's demonstrated flexibility in adapting to the new procurement environment in India (a market that Moscow considers a top priority) represents a competitive advantage.

Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MRTA) Recently, Russia has also signed a deal worth $ 1.5-biilion-dollar deal for supplying 29 Russian deck-based aircraft MiG-29 before the end of next year to Indian Navy.

The Farkhor Air Base in Tajikistan is currently jointly operated by India and Russia.

During President Putin's visit to New Delhi for the 13th Annual Summit on 24 December 2012, agreements were signed for cooperation in areas such as foreign office consultations, cultural exchange, science, technology & innovations, mutual investments, space and telecommunications. Two Inter-Governmental Commissions - one on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister and the Russian Deputy Prime Minister and another on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC- MTC) co-chaired by Russian and Indian Defense Ministers, meet annually. The latest round of IRIGC-MTC and IRIGC-TEC meetings were held in New Delhi on 10 October and 15 October 2012 respective

Russia is India's standing partner in peaceful uses of nuclear energy and it recognizes India as a country with advanced nuclear technology with an impeccable non-proliferation record. Construction of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) Units 1 & 2 (VVER 1000 MW units) is an example of fruitful cooperation between India and Russia. KKNPP Unit 1 has become operational in July 2013, while its Unit 2 is at an advanced stage of construction. Negotiations for the construction of two additional NPPs at Kudankulam (Units 3 & 4) are at an advanced stage.

India and Russia also collaborate in several high-technology space projects. Under the 2004 Inter - Governmental Agreement on "Cooperation in the area of exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes", Russia and India cooperate in Moon Mission projects such as "Chandrayan- 2". In April 2011, the jointly developed Indian - Russian Student Satellite "Youthsat" was successfully launched by India on a PSLV rocket.

Commercial relations

Bilateral Trade has been growing steadily from US $ 7.5 bn (2009) to US $ 8.5 bn (2010), to US $ 8.9 bn (2011) and to US $ 11.04 bn (2012). During January - May 2013, the bilateral trade amounted to US $ 3.9 bn. India's exports to Russia amounted to US $ 1.3 bn while imports from Russia amounted to US $ 2.6 bn. The two-way investment between the two countries stands at approximately US$ 7.8 billion.

Both sides acknowledge vast potential for an increase in bilateral trade volumes and investment, given the respective sizes of the Indian and Russian economies, as also the untapped economic complementarities. In 2009, both sides set the target of US $ 20 bn bilateral trade by 2015. Special efforts are being made in the fields of energy, pharmaceuticals, IT, steel, hydrocarbons, diamonds aerospace, fertilizers, and food products.

India - Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister of India and the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, is the main institutional mechanism supervising economic cooperation. It integrates six working groups on economic and trade cooperation, modernization and industrial cooperation, energy, tourism and culture, science and technology, and IT. The 18th IRIGC-TEC meeting was held in New Delhi on 15 October 2012. An inter-sessional meeting of IRIGC-TEC was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Mr. Salman Khurshid and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Dmitry Rogozin on 29 April 2013 in Moscow.

India - Russia Forum on Trade and Investment co-chaired by the Commerce and Industry Minister of India and the Russian Minister for Economic Development, and India - Russia CEOs' Council are the two primary mechanisms to promote direct bilateral business - to - business contacts between India and Russia. The last meeting of the India - Russia Forum on Trade and Investment was held on 15 October 2012 in Moscow. Mechanisms such as India - Russia Business Council (partnership between FICCI of India and CCI of Russia), India - Russia Trade, Investment and Technology Promotion Council (partnership between CII of India and RUIE of Russia), India - Russia Business Dialogue (partnership between CII of India and the Business Council for Cooperation with India of Russia) and India - Russia Chamber of Commerce (with focus on SMEs) supplement the efforts to build direct business - to - business ties. In June 2013, the 4th India-Russia Business Dialogue was held within the framework of the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). A meeting of India - Russia CEOs' Council was also held in June 2013 in St. Petersburg.
 
Last edited:

ericliang313

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2013
Messages
32
Likes
18
Re: Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a hu

yes i do

A perfect example is the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft /Perspective Multi-Role Fighter (FGFA/PMF) project

Russian envoys in India consistently espouse strong support for continued transfer of technology as an integral part of the defense relationship. This is evidenced by another major joint project, the development and production of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. While Russian officials may be exaggerating their willingness to engage in technology transfer across the whole range of military technology, Moscow's demonstrated flexibility in adapting to the new procurement environment in India (a market that Moscow considers a top priority) represents a competitive advantage.

Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MRTA) Recently, Russia has also signed a deal worth $ 1.5-biilion-dollar deal for supplying 29 Russian deck-based aircraft MiG-29 before the end of next year to Indian Navy.

The Farkhor Air Base in Tajikistan is currently jointly operated by India and Russia.

During President Putin's visit to New Delhi for the 13th Annual Summit on 24 December 2012, agreements were signed for cooperation in areas such as foreign office consultations, cultural exchange, science, technology & innovations, mutual investments, space and telecommunications. Two Inter-Governmental Commissions - one on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister and the Russian Deputy Prime Minister and another on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC- MTC) co-chaired by Russian and Indian Defense Ministers, meet annually. The latest round of IRIGC-MTC and IRIGC-TEC meetings were held in New Delhi on 10 October and 15 October 2012 respective

Russia is India's standing partner in peaceful uses of nuclear energy and it recognizes India as a country with advanced nuclear technology with an impeccable non-proliferation record. Construction of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) Units 1 & 2 (VVER 1000 MW units) is an example of fruitful cooperation between India and Russia. KKNPP Unit 1 has become operational in July 2013, while its Unit 2 is at an advanced stage of construction. Negotiations for the construction of two additional NPPs at Kudankulam (Units 3 & 4) are at an advanced stage.

India and Russia also collaborate in several high-technology space projects. Under the 2004 Inter - Governmental Agreement on "Cooperation in the area of exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes", Russia and India cooperate in Moon Mission projects such as "Chandrayan- 2". In April 2011, the jointly developed Indian - Russian Student Satellite "Youthsat" was successfully launched by India on a PSLV rocket.

Commercial relations

Bilateral Trade has been growing steadily from US $ 7.5 bn (2009) to US $ 8.5 bn (2010), to US $ 8.9 bn (2011) and to US $ 11.04 bn (2012). During January - May 2013, the bilateral trade amounted to US $ 3.9 bn. India's exports to Russia amounted to US $ 1.3 bn while imports from Russia amounted to US $ 2.6 bn. The two-way investment between the two countries stands at approximately US$ 7.8 billion.

Both sides acknowledge vast potential for an increase in bilateral trade volumes and investment, given the respective sizes of the Indian and Russian economies, as also the untapped economic complementarities. In 2009, both sides set the target of US $ 20 bn bilateral trade by 2015. Special efforts are being made in the fields of energy, pharmaceuticals, IT, steel, hydrocarbons, diamonds aerospace, fertilizers, and food products.

India - Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister of India and the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, is the main institutional mechanism supervising economic cooperation. It integrates six working groups on economic and trade cooperation, modernization and industrial cooperation, energy, tourism and culture, science and technology, and IT. The 18th IRIGC-TEC meeting was held in New Delhi on 15 October 2012. An inter-sessional meeting of IRIGC-TEC was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Mr. Salman Khurshid and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Dmitry Rogozin on 29 April 2013 in Moscow.

India - Russia Forum on Trade and Investment co-chaired by the Commerce and Industry Minister of India and the Russian Minister for Economic Development, and India - Russia CEOs' Council are the two primary mechanisms to promote direct bilateral business - to - business contacts between India and Russia. The last meeting of the India - Russia Forum on Trade and Investment was held on 15 October 2012 in Moscow. Mechanisms such as India - Russia Business Council (partnership between FICCI of India and CCI of Russia), India - Russia Trade, Investment and Technology Promotion Council (partnership between CII of India and RUIE of Russia), India - Russia Business Dialogue (partnership between CII of India and the Business Council for Cooperation with India of Russia) and India - Russia Chamber of Commerce (with focus on SMEs) supplement the efforts to build direct business - to - business ties. In June 2013, the 4th India-Russia Business Dialogue was held within the framework of the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). A meeting of India - Russia CEOs' Council was also held in June 2013 in St. Petersburg.
And do our Russian friends think there exists such a future? Do they see the worth of an alliance with your nation, or with...others more so?
 

AVERAGE INDIAN

EXORCIST
Senior Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
3,325
Likes
5,407
Country flag
Re: Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a hu

And do our Russian friends think there exists such a future? Do they see the worth of an alliance with your nation, or with...others more so?
there are no enemies no friends only national interests as far as worthiness is concerned till we get on our feet we need our friends help no choice
 
Last edited:

ericliang313

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2013
Messages
32
Likes
18
Re: Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a hu

there are no enemies no friends only national interests as far as worthiness is concerned till we get on our feet we need our friends help no choice
True, geopolitics are often dictated by national considerations and interests firsthand, and such interests are malleable and shift rapidly and circumstantially, that is so for Russia, and India, and China.

Yet even bearing this in mind, I must submit that the future of such an 'alliance' seems grim indeed. This is an article from one of your own newspapers about something that happened several years ago -

India upset over Russia calling off naval exercise - Times Of India
 

AVERAGE INDIAN

EXORCIST
Senior Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
3,325
Likes
5,407
Country flag
Re: Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a hu

True, geopolitics are often dictated by national considerations and interests firsthand, and such interests are malleable and shift rapidly and circumstantially, that is so for Russia, and India, and China.

Yet even bearing this in mind, I must submit that the future of such an 'alliance' seems grim indeed. This is an article from one of your own newspapers about something that happened several years ago -

India upset over Russia calling off naval exercise - Times Of India
yes i agree we were upset with Russia but we signed a revised deal in MRTA ( transport aircraft development/ FGFA/ PAKFA and various other deals)

we were also upset with US but we ordered 6 more c130j tactical transports and the orders of C17 will follow so when it comes to national interests and especially inability to produced some critical equipment will over shadow such minor incidents and it doesn't matter in the long run
 

ericliang313

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2013
Messages
32
Likes
18
Re: Defence projects, n-plants: India's new envoy to Russia has a hu

yes i agree we were upset with Russia but we signed a revised deal in MRTA ( transport aircraft development/ FGFA/ PAKFA and various other deals)

we were also upset with US but we ordered 6 more c130j tactical transports and the orders of C17 will follow so when it comes to national interests and especially inability to produced some critical equipment will over shadow such minor incidents and it doesn't matter in the long run
Some relationships never last as some think they would, I suppose.

If you had told my ancestors fifteen hundred years ago that India would become our greatest enemy in Asia, they would never have believed it. And yet, today, the reality stands as it is.
 

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
Why don't we ask the Russians to set up a brand new turbine factory in India? We should invite Kuznetsov, Klimov, AviaDvigatel, etc., to set up shop. At least one should be set up. Let GTRE work on its own project simultaneously.
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top