New Delhi
12 March 2010
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who can claim the frequent traveller
tag for having visited India five times in the last 10 years, says Moscow is aware of New
Delhi's concerns about the situation at the Af-Pak border.
Mr Putin was speaking here on Friday at a press conference webcast live on the internet,
ahead of his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Businesspersons, academics
and students from Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai participated in it.
He hoped Pakistan's undertaking to act against terrorists will not be restricted to "local
problems" having to do with its own interests, but will extend to addressing global
concerns about terrorism emanating from its territory.
However, he noted that the Pakistan government was directly engaging insurgents,
which it had not done before, and therefore it needed to be supported for its activities for
combating terrorism.
The Russian premier highlighted his government's desire to deepen strategic
partnership with India in civil nuclear energy, defence and space, particularly joint lunar
exploration and research, and cooperation on Glonass navigation system, which is
designed for both military and civilian use.
He stressed the need for commercial ties to move beyond traditional sectors such as
arms sales and military-technical cooperation into
areas such as high-technology, energy, banking and information technology.
Russia is one of India's largest military suppliers.
Moscow will welcome negotiations on liberalisation of visas if New Delhi showed
readiness to sign a re-admission agreement with Russia for facilitating the repatriation
of illegal migrants to India.
Russia has signed a re-admission pact with the European Union, which eases EU visas
for Russians. Moscow believes a similar agreement with New Delhi -- which has not
signed it with any country so far -- can be done on a reciprocal basis.
There is scope for strengthening of educational linkages if the two countries can agree to
recognise each other's diplomas. Russia, which has reached an agreement with EU
countries on diplomas, is hopeful of resolving the issue with India, too.
Mr Putin interspersed his remarks with anecdotes about a family tradition, started by his
parents, of brewing Indian tea, his liking for Mahatma Gandhi, and how Russians respect
for Indian culture and philosophy.
Mr Putin rounded off his 70-minute press conference on an upbeat note, saying that
Russia "was, is and will" remain the closest and valuable friend of the Indian people. He
said the ties not were not just based on affection but coincidence of geopolitical
interests.
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