OPENING REMARKS BY PM AT PRESS
INTERACTION OF PM AT MOSCOW
Following is the
text of the Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the press
interaction of him and President Putin at Moscow today:
"Thank you for
your kind words Mr. President.
It is a great
pleasure to be here in Moscow and I would once again like to express
my deep appreciation for the warm welcome and generous hospitality
extended to my delegation and to me in Russia.
In keeping with
the strength of our relations and the diversity of our cooperation,
our discussions today covered a wide range of bilateral, regional
and international issues of mutual concern. The various documents
we have just signed are a reflection of our convergences and the
extent of our continuing cooperation.
Cooperation in energy
has long term significance for both our countries. We have taken
stock of the Sakhalin-I project and have agreed to monitor its
progress at a high level to ensure its timely completion. The
construction of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant with Russian
assistance is progressing well.
We have agreed to
expand our cooperation to other areas of the energy sector.
Our cooperation
on civilian space technologies has been very fruitful. We are
discussing cooperation on a satellite navigation project.
We believe that our
economies have many complementarities.
We are looking at
new ways to enhance our bilateral trade and investment. A Joint
Task Force has been set up to recommend specific measures in this
regard.
There is a large
business delegation accompanying me from India. The businessmen
have to take advantage of the new opportunities and of the framework
we are putting in place to facilitate the growth of trade.
To boost trade, we
also need to promote greater interaction between our people. We
have agreed to increase the frequency of air connections between
Russia and India.
Russian airlines
are also being granted fifth freedom rights to Kabul from India
subject to the agreement of the Afghanistan Government.
We also look forward
to the early opening of an Indian Joint Venture Bank in Moscow.
India-Russia defence
cooperation has acquired great versatility, and encompasses a
wide range of joint research, design, development and co-production.
The Brahmos missile,
whose fifth successful trial launch was just a few days ago, is
an example of this.
We discussed other
projects and areas of defence cooperation.
We have agreed
to strengthen and widen our cooperation against terrorism both
in bilateral and multilateral fora.
We have a Joint Working
Group, which meets regularly to exchange information and analysis
of terrorist threats in our region.
In this context,
we discussed the developments of concern in our common neighbourhood.
I have invited
President Putin to visit India, so that we can continue our very
rewarding tradition of annual summits.
We look forward to
receiving him at his convenience.
Thank you."
