Rajnath Singh holds talks with Russian counterpart to bolster defence, strategic cooperation

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said he h an “excellent meeting” with his Russian counterpart Gen. Sergey Shoigu here and discussed a wide range of issues, especially how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation.

Singh, who arrived here on Wednesday on a three-day visit to attend a crucial meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier. Taking to Twitter, Singh termed his talks with Shoigu as “excellent”.

“Excellent meeting with Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow today. We talked about a wide range of issues, particularly how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation between both countries,” he said in a tweet.

Earlier on Thursday, India and Russia finalised a major deal for manufacturing AK-47 203 rifles in India, official Russian media reported. AK-47 203 is latest and most vanced version of AK-47 rifle, which will replace Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56x45 mm assault rifle.

Indian Army has a requirement for around 770,000 AK-47 203 rifles, of which 100,000 will be imported and rest will be manufactured in India, Russia’s state-run Sputnik news ncy said. re was official confirmation from Indian government on finalisation of deal.

rifles will be manufactured in India as part of joint venture Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), established between Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport -- Russian state ncy for military exports, it said.

Officials said that Singh is also likely to request Russian side to ensure timely delivery of S-400 missile defence systems to India. delivery of first batch of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India is scheduled by end of 2021.

Before departure, Singh in a tweet h said that issues of mutual interest will figure in his talks with Shoigu. "India and Russia are privileged Strategic Partners. Looking forward to furr this partnership during my visit," he said.

It is Singh's second visit to Moscow since June. He h represented India at Victory Day Pare in Moscow on June 24 that commemorated 75th anniversary of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in Second World War.

Singh will also attend a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation here on Friday which will be attended by defence ministers of eight member nations.

y are expected to deliberate on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism and ways to deal with m collectively. meeting is taking place under show of a fierce border row between India and China, both members of influential bloc.

SCO comprises eight member states -- India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe and Pakistan's Pervez Khattak are expected to attend SCO meeting.

SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has emerged as one of largest transregional international organisations which accounts for almost 44 per cent of world population stretching from Arctic Ocean to Indian Ocean and from Pacific Ocean to Baltic Sea. aim of SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security of region. India became a member of SCO in 2017.

(Photo Credit: Twitter/DefenceMinIndia)