Defence ties between India and Russia are unmatched by any other relationship, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday.
Addressing an august gathering after receiving an honorary doctorate from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations here, Dr. Singh said:"Our defence relationship with Russia is unmatched by any other relationship."
"The soon to be commissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, the nuclear submarine INS Chakra leased to us by Russia and the joint development of the fifth generation fighter aircraft and the Brahmos Cruise Missile are examples of the scale and sophistication of our collaboration," he added.
He also lauded Russia's partnership with India in nuclear energy, and said that the first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, built with Russian assistance, went critical in July this year and that the second one should be commissioned early next year.
"The Indian oil company ONGC's largest overseas presence is in Russia. Our largest science and technology cooperation programme is also with Russia," he said.
He further expressed hope to see Russia as a key partner for India's energy security, and added that the future defense partnership between the two countries must be increasingly based on technology transfer, joint ventures and co-development and co-production.
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"We have an ambitious long-term plan of cooperation in nuclear energy. The programme of cooperation in hydrocarbons that we are drawing up will further intensify our partnership in oil and gas and renewable energy sources," he said.
Dr. Singh also said that the unprecedented level of growth in tourism between India and Russia not only brings economic benefits, but also deepens the contact between the people of both countries.
"The sustained expansion of our trade and investment flows has added a new dimension to the relationship. We should harness the full potential of our two economies to impart even greater depth and dynamism to it," he added.
He concluded by saying that credit for the forward movement in Indo-Russian times must be given to the vision and leadership of President Vladimir Putin, whose "personal commitment to the relationship has led us to seek new heights in our relations.