India, Russia sign agreements for procurement of 6 lakh AK-203 rifles

India and Russia signed agreements for procurement of 6,01,427 7.63x39mm assault rifles AK-203 through Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd, under the military-technical cooperation arrangement for 2021-31

India and Russia on Monday signed the agreements for the procurement of 6,01,427 7.63x39mm assault rifles AK-203 through Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd, under the military-technical cooperation arrangement for 2021-31.

This deal was signed following the meeting between Rajnath Singh and Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu. Another agreement was signed on Protocol on amending agreement on cooperation in the field of Kalashnikov series small arms manufacturing dated February 18, 2019.

Underlining the importance of the time-tested relations between India and Russia, Rajnath Singh had said that defence cooperation is one of the most important pillars of the bilateral partnership and thanked Russia for its strong support.

"Defence cooperation is one of the most important pillars of our partnership. India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) is a well-established mechanism for the past two decades. I hope the India-Russia partnership will bring peace to the entire region and provide stability to the region," said Singh in his opening remarks during a meeting with Sergey Shoigu.

Rajnath Singh also appreciated Russia's strong support for India. "Our close cooperation is not targeted against any country. We hope that our partnership will bring peace and prosperity to the entire region," he added.

Rajnath Singh met with Shoigu here in Delhi and held talks on the Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC), considered as a major issue in the context of bilateral relations.

The two Defence Ministers meet annually, alternately in Russia and India, to discuss and review the status of ongoing projects and other issues of military-technical cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold the 21st annual India-Russia summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Both countries are expected to sign more than 10 agreements following annual talks between PM Modi and President Putin. These agreements will be in the fields of space, culture, science and technology, defence etc.