Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has embarked on a three-day visit to Russia where he is likely to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin and witness the commissioning of the Russian-made warship, INS Tushil, into the Indian Navy.
According to the Indian Embassy in Moscow, the Defense Minister arrived in the Russian capital on Sunday night and was received by Ambassador Vinay Kumar and Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
The commissioning of the Russian-made INS Tushil will take place today at the Yantra Shipyard in Kaliningrad. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi will accompany Rajnath Singh to the event.
The multirole stealth-guided missile frigate is billed as one of the most technologically advanced warships in the world. It is expected to greatly strengthen the performance of the Indian Maritime Festival in the Indian Ocean.
On Tuesday, the Defense Minister and his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov will jointly chair the 21st meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) in Moscow.
According to an official statement from the Ministry of Defense, Rajnath Singh and Belousov will review the entire range of multilateral relations between the two countries in the field of defense, including military-to-military and industrial cooperation.
“They will also exchange views on current regional and international issues of interest,” it added.
Besides reviewing ongoing defense projects, key discussions will focus on the delivery of the remaining two units of Russia’s S-400 Triumf air defense system, widely regarded as one of the most advanced in the world.
The purchase of five units of the S-400 air defense system was completed in 2018 when India and Russia signed an agreement worth 5.43 billion dollars.
Also on Tuesday, Rajnath Singh will pay tribute to Soviet soldiers at the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ ​​in Moscow and interact with the Indian community.
Although the Indian Embassy said the Union Minister would call on President Putin, there were no immediate details on the date or venue of the meeting.
Rajnath Singh’s visit comes months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia in October.
During the trip, Prime Minister Modi attended the 22nd India-Russia Summit and also participated in the two-day BRICS Summit in Kazan, where he also held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
(Via PTI, ANI input)
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