India and Russia formally announce supply of S-400 Missile System to India

New Delhi, Oct 5: India and Russia have decided to enhance military cooperation when the joint declaration talks about supply of S-400 Long range Surface to Air Missile system to India. The deal was supposed to get signed last year but due to the US signing Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), it got delayed.

The joint statement signed by India and Russia says, both the countries welcomed the conclusion of the contract for the supply of the S-400 Long Range Surface to Air Missile System to India. They reaffirmed their commitment to enhance military technical cooperation between India and Russia, which has a long history of mutual trust and mutual benefit.

Both the countries expressed their satisfaction at the significant progress made on the ongoing projects of military technical cooperation and recognized the positive shift towards joint research and joint production of military technical equipment between the two countries. They highly evaluated the Military Industrial Conference process as an important mechanism to promote the "Make in India" policy of India.

They noted that Military and Military-Technical cooperation between the two countries is an important pillar of their strategic partnership while welcoming the forthcoming meeting of the Indian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical cooperation to be held in December 2018.

The Roadmap for Military Cooperation has paved the way for greater interaction between the militaries of both countries, including in training, exchange of senior functionaries of the militaries, Staff talks and Exercises. Russia positively evaluated the Indian participation in the Army Games 2018, Army 2018 and Moscow Conference on International Security. Both Sides commended the successful completion of the first ever Tri-Services Exercise INDRA 2017 and committed to continue their Joint Military Exercises - INDRA Navy, INDRA Army and Avia INDRA - in 2018.

They have positively evaluated the meeting of the High-Level Committee on Cooperation in High Technologies set up in November 2017 that identified concrete projects in areas of mutual interest for joint research and development.