Expressing satisfaction with the progress in regard to the commissioning of Unit-1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, India and Russia have agreed to take necessary steps to speed-up the completion of Unit-2, and also agreed to expeditiously finalize the General Framework Agreement and the Techno-Commercial Offer for Units- 3 and 4 of the nuclear plant.
After talks between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two countries emphasized the need to facilitate cooperation among power sector companies of both the countries for modernization of existing power plants and construction of new power plants in India.
The two sides reaffirmed their earlier commitment to the agreement between India and Russia on cooperation in the construction of additional nuclear power plant units at Kudankulam site as well as in the construction of Russian designed Nuclear Power Plants at new sites in India.
India and Russia also reaffirmed their agreement on cooperation in the use of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes and the Road Map for the Serial Construction of the Russian designed Nuclear Power Plants in India.
The two sides reiterated their commitment to implement the agreement on the Enhancement of Cooperation in Oil and Gas Sector
India and Russia noted the importance of cooperation in order to organize long-term supplies of hydrocarbons to India from Russia, conducive to strengthening India's energy security and diversification of energy exports from Russia through LNG supplies to India.
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The two sides expressed satisfaction with the dynamic development of cooperation between JSC Gazprom and Indian companies to organize long-term supplies of LNG to India from the Gazprom Group portfolio.
Both sides also agreed to explore the possibilities of direct transportation of hydrocarbons from Russia to India through the land route, and also agreed to set up a Joint Study Group in this regard.
The Indian side expressed OVL's interest in participating along with Russian companies in exploration for hydrocarbons in the Arctic region.
Both India and Russia welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Energy Efficiency between FSBO Russian Energy Agency of the Ministry of Energy of Russia and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency of India.
The two sides expressed satisfaction with the signing of the Vladivostok Ministerial Declaration and Plan of Action on Regional Cooperation for Enhanced Energy Security and the Sustainable Use of Energy in Asia and the Pacific, 2014-18.
In the area of cooperation in Science and Technology, both India and Russia noted the progress in various on-going scientific sectors, including cooperation in Basic Sciences under DST-RFBR program and the Integrated Long-Term Program (ILTP).
Both sides welcomed the creation of new institutional mechanisms by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Science and Technology of India.
These mechanisms would support Indo-Russian R and D projects with potential for technology development and generation of new intellectual property.
These projects would be in conformity with national priorities of both countries, as identified under 12th Five Year plan of India and the Federal Targeted Programme 'Research and Development in Priority Fields of Science and Technology Complex of Russia in 2014-2020'.
In the area of exploration of Outer Space, India and Russia expressed their commitment to further cooperation in space activities of mutual interest.
Both sides supported cooperation between Russia and India within the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and agreed to advance it in a pragmatic and steady manner.
In particular, they expressed mutual interest in coordinating actions with reference to the current endeavour of the Committee to work out guidelines related to ensuring the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.
Meanwhile, in the area of environment and sustainable development, India and Russia welcomed the outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development "Rio+20" held in Rio de Janeiro in June last year, and stated that it was necessary to work consistently to implement its decisions.
They attached great importance to addressing purposefully the global climate change problem and stressed the importance of boosting international efforts aimed at drafting a new comprehensive and balanced climate change agreement by 2015.