The prime minister has stressed the importance of New Delhi’s ties with Moscow, despite US pressure
India is further strengthening its “time-tested partnership” with Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the UP International Trade Show on Thursday, where Russia is a country partner.
The event aims to facilitate business with India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh (UP), as well as showcase its products.
“This time, the country partner of the trade show is Russia,” Modi said in his address. “That means we are further strengthening a time-tested partnership through this trade show.”
He emphasized India’s self-reliance, or ‘Aatmanirbharta’, using the example of the domestic production of AK-203 rifles.
“Soon, production of AK-203 rifles will begin from a factory set up with Russia’s help,” Modi said. “A defense corridor is also being set up in UP. Production of several weapons, including BrahMos missiles has already started.”
Modi’s comments come at a time when the South Asian nation faces 50% tariffs for most of its exports to the US. Of the levies, 25% were imposed for India’s continued purchases of Russian oil and weapons.
During their meeting earlier this month on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the growing strategic partnership between their countries, which is expanding into multiple sectors. Putin is also due to visit India in December this year.
This month, the Russian leader praised Modi for his personal efforts in strengthening the special strategic partnership between the two nations.
Defense is a major area of cooperation between Russia and India, with Russian companies participating in joint ventures to manufacture weapons in the South Asian nation, as well as providing key components for Indian-made arms and ammunition.
In 2019, India established defense industrial corridors in UP and the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The initiative is aimed at bolstering domestic defense manufacturing and reducing reliance on imports by promoting indigenization, with an ambitious goal of fulfilling equipment requirements worth over $250 billion by 2025.
In May, India opened a new BrahMos supersonic cruise missile production unit in UP. The missiles are manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.
The manufacturing of Russian-designed AK-203 rifles, mentioned by Modi, began in January 2023 at a facility in Korwa, Amethi district, UP. The Russian-Indian joint venture was contracted to supply the Indian armed forces with over 600,000 rifles by 2030. RT recently visited the facility and spoke exclusively with officials who hailed the joint project as a “major success.”
