FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

Modi-Putin Phone Call Covered ‘Strategic Partnership’; Russia To Join India’s Shipbuilding

April 12, 2018 (EIRNS)—As the international crises centering around the alleged chemical attack in Syria and the U.S.-China trade tiff have drawn people’s attention worldwide, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday to discuss the development of the “exclusive strategic partnership” between Russia and India. They agreed to maintain contacts in the future, the Kremlin reported yesterday.

The Hindustan Times reported that India’s national security advisor Ajit Doval, a close confidant of Modi’s, will travel to Russia later this week to reassure Moscow that the ties between the two countries are important to India, and that they remain key defense, security and nuclear partners. Doval will meet Russian National Security Advisor Nikolai Patrushev. “The visit is aimed at reassuring them that India places highest importance on the relationship with Russia, a time-tested strategic partner,” an anonymous Indian official on told the Hindustan Times today.

Doval’s trip follows Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Moscow last week. During her trip, Russia and India came to agreements on joint shipbuilding in India, thus boosting Modi’s “Make in India” initiative. To begin with, Russia has invited India to jointly design and build a new, diesel-electric submarine on the basis of project Amur-1650, said Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Vladimir Drozhzhov today.

“Russia has an alternative proposal for the Indian partners. It is not another project for the production of military technologies under license, but joint design and development of the submarine and its subsequent construction at Indian shipyards in accordance with the initiative Make in India,”

he explained, reported TASS.

Drozhzhov also told TASS that India is considering building Russian Project 11356 frigates at one of its shipyards, and talks are underway.

“The experience of interaction in this sphere is very extensive. I hope that the Indian side will take all efforts jointly with Russia to maximally expedite the process of building ships at an Indian shipyard,”

he said, without giving any details. In 2016, an inter-governmental agreement was signed on building Project 11356 missile-carrying warships for India at shipyards of both countries, TASS wrote.