Sans nuke pact, Manmohan Singh thanks Vladimir Putin for supporting India's nuclear programme

Moscow, Nov 12 : The much-awaited comprehensive pact with Russia for a civil nuclear cooperation did not materialise during the summit-level talks between visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it did not stop the former from thanking Moscow for its 'steadfast support' in supplementing New Delhi's nuclear energy programme.

"We continued our dialogue on energy," Singh said in his opening remarks at a joint press interaction with Putin, and added, "I thanked the President for Russia's steadfast support in supplementing our nuclear energy programme, and its assistance in lifting international restrictions on nuclear cooperation with India that are still in place."

India was expected to sign a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Russia, which would have expanded the present nuclear collaboration between the two countries. The pact was also expected to have a separate component on the construction of four additional nuclear units in Koodankulam, Tamil Nadu.

In October this year, when Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov visited New Delhi he had said that the pact would be finalised during Manmohan Singh's November visit to Moscow.

However, as the two countries today signed four agreements, the nuclear pact was not one of them.

Stating that Indo-Russian relations are based on a strategic partnership that has stood the test of time, Singh focussed on the economic aspect,  terming it as the 'bedrock of the strategic partnership'. He said that both sides have agreed to redouble their efforts to achieve a bilateral trade target of 10 billion US dollars by 2010.

With both countries resolving the long pending issue of the utilization of rupee debt fund, Singh said that recommendations of the Joint Study Group were also discussed along with the establishment of a Joint Task Force to implement those recommendations.

"Defence cooperation is one of the pillars of our strategic partnership," Singh said, adding that recent agreements between the two countries to co-develop a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) and Muti-role Transport Aircraft show the major steps taken forward in this direction.

With a bilateral agreement for cooperation in India's first moon mission, Chandrayan II, being the high point in this year's Summit level talks, Singh said, "High technology is an area of great promise."

Singh said that he was 'very satisfied, with the results of his Moscow visit, which is his fourth to the Russian capital as Prime Minister.

"We have consolidated and strengthened our engagement in different areas," he added. (ANI)