India, Russia ink key deals in defence, trade

In a major push to their strategic ties, India and Russia on Thursday decided to expand cooperation in various sectors as they signed 16 pacts, including on joint manufacture of 226 military helicopters and construction of 12 atomic plants with involvement of local companies in India. After extensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, PM Narendra Modi underlined the need for the world to unite against terrorism. The discussions covered a wide range of issues including terrorism, cooperation in the fields of defence, security and energy and ways to enhance trade and investment besides facilitating easier movement of people. After the talks, the two sides signed 16 agreements. One of these was an agreement on manufacture of Kamov 226 helicopter in India, which, Modi said is the first project for a major defence platform under “Make-in-India” programme.