Rajnath Singh visits Russian armed forces’ main cathedral in Moscow

Moscow, Sep 04: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday visited the main cathedral of the Russian armed forces and the museum complex here ahead of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Singh, who is here to attend the meeting of SCO defence ministers, began the third day of his visit to the country by paying a visit to the massive cathedral along with his delegation.

"Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh visited the Main Cathedral of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Museum Complex in Moscow this morning," the Defence Ministry Spokesperson said in a tweet.

It also posted two pictures on Twitter in which the minister is seen present inside the cathedral along with the Russian and Indian officials. The Main Church of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which only opened on June 20 this year, is a huge Orthodox Christian cathedral dedicated to the military. The cathedral's six golden domes are dedicated to the patron saints of each branch of the Russian armed forces.

The museum at the church complex features exhibitions about the history of Russia's armed forces and the Great Patriotic War. Singh paid tributes to the fallen soldiers by laying of flowers at the Monument to the Mothers of Winners in Moscow. The Defence Ministry Spokespers also tweeted a group photo at the "combined meeting of defence ministers of the SCO, Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) member states in Moscow, organised in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of victory in the World War II" ahead of the start of the meeting.

On Thursday, Singh said he had an "excellent meeting" with his Russian counterpart Gen. Sergey Shoigu during which he appreciated the "steadfast support" provided by Russia in response to the country's defence and security needs. He pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier.

The two countries also finalised a major deal for manufacturing AK-47 203 rifles in India. The AK-47 203 is the latest and most advanced version of the AK-47 rifle, which will replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56x45 mm assault rifle. The SCO comprises eight member states -- India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.