India privileged strategic partner, says Russia

Moscow: India will continue to receive sensitive technologies from Moscow as a privileged strategic partner, Russian vice-premier Sergei Ivanov said today.

Addressing the India-Russia Business meet here, Ivanov said Russia's relations with New Delhi were based on "trust" and that it would continue to provide any "sensitive" technology.

Giving an example of Indo-Russian cooperation in sensitive areas, Ivanov pointed out that so far India was the only country to which Russia had allowed access to high-precision GLONASS signals for defence and security requirements.

"India is so far the only country in the world, and most probably will remain the single foreign country to which we have agreed to provide access to high-precision GLONASS signals for defence and security requirements," Ivanov said.

GLONASS is Russia's answer to the US-controlled Global Positioning System (GPS) and, like the GPS, can be used for both civil and military purposes. Such systems are absolutely necessary for big or small military operations and are absolutely necessary in today's high-tech environment.

"Our cooperation in GLONASS navigation is one such example," Ivanov said after his one-to-one talks with TKA Nair, the principal secretary to prime minister Manmohan Singh.

At the meet, Ivanov asked Indian business to invest in Russia's pharma industry and IT.

Nair is leading a delegation of top officials from Indian IT and pharma companies.