India willing to host Russian armaments production - ambassador to Russia
ST. PETERSBURG. June 16 (Interfax) - The Indian authorities want to move beyond the usual buyer-seller relations with Russia in the military-technical cooperation sector, Ambassador of India to Russia Pankaj Saran said at a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Delhi wishes to transition to relations whereby India would produce items of equipment directly in its territory, he said. The Indian side wants Russia to provide assistance in this regard, to launch the production in the defense sector.
Privately-held companies in the public sector show strong interest in initiating such production, and if the sides make a move in this direction, Russia and India will advance to an entirely new level of cooperation in defense industry, the ambassador said.