New Delhi
16 February 2007
Russia will wait for the negotiations between India and the United
States on the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement to conclude but its cooperation with
India in the nuclear sphere will continue and will not be "dependent" on the outcome of
those talks, Russian Ambassador to India Vyacheslav I Trubnikov has indicated.
"We have paid a lot of attention to this question [and] we did supply nuclear fuel [to
India.] So we would like to proceed with expansion of our cooperation in civilian nuclear
sphere with India without violating our obligations to the Nuclear Suppliers Group as we
thought the current negotiations between India and the US are directed in the same
direction," Ambassador Trubnikov said.
"We consider it our privilege that we have constructed nuclear power stations in
Kudankulam and it has been decided that four more stations will be built there and in
some other places in India where new stations might be built. We are now busy working
on an inter-governmental agreement and it will be [ready] in near future," he said.
He appreciated that the separation of the Indian atomic energy programme into civilian
and strategic categories was difficult. "The same scientists are working on civilian and
military sides. Separation can be done [on paper] but not in the mind of the scientist ...
that is inseparable." He, however, asserted that with "every [passing] day the lifting
sanctions by the NSG is nearing".
The emvoy said that "a lot of attention has been given to future relationship" of Russia
and India and that Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit in January was "one of the
most productive visits of [Putin's] tenure". Russia, he acknowledged, was on the verge
of important changes but he expected that the "line taken by Russia in internal and
international affairs will be picked by Mr Putin's successor".
On the military side, he said that Russia was sticking to the schedule of supplying
aircraft for the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, now rechristened INS Vikramaditya.
Russia was also prepared to fulfil India's requirements for the supply of 347 new tanks.
He said India's participation in the Sakhalin-3 oil project was "under consideration" and
that talks were on for Gazprom's role in the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.
He said that the "triangle" of India, Russia and China was "gaining strength [and]
becoming more visible in the decision-making process of the world" and that the recent
trilateral meeting of foreign ministers was "filled with substance". He added that
"provisions have been worked out" for welcoming India as a member of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
He sought to explain that Mr Putin's uncharacteristically outspoken speech in Munich
was intended to send a message to "the US, the West and all the countries of the world"
that unilateral decisions will lead to situations like Afghanistan and Iraq. "Let us not
cheat each other," he said in an oblique reference to the US. Russia, he added, "did not
believe that the Iran nuclear issue could not be sorted out without using force".
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