India-Russia nuclear agreement signed

Russia will construct a new nuclear power plant and four more reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu under a nuclear cooperation agreement signed between the two countries – the third such agreement since India got a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The two countries also signed agreements for cooperation in space exploration, including on manned space flight. Under the agreement, Russia will help in sending an Indian cosmonaut to space in 2013 and then launch a manned Indian spacecraft in 2015.

The agreement was signed by visiting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.
 
Russia, the third country to sign a nuclear co-operation agreement with India after the United States and France, is already building two 1,000-megawatt light water reactors in Kudankulam.

OAO Tvel, the Russian nuclear-fuel monopoly, will supply fuel worth $700 million to other Indian nuclear power stations under a separate agreement, Sergei Kiriyenko, head of state nuclear company Rosatom Corp, said on the sidelines of the Indo-Russian summit.
 
''The signing of the agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with Russia marks a new milestone in the history of our cooperation in the field of nuclear energy,'' Manmohan Singh said after talks with Medvedev.

India and Russia have traditionally enjoyed good relations and the visiting Russian president is expected to sign a series of agreements with India, including in the energy and defence sectors.

India will buy 80 military helicopters from Russia, further cementing their defence relationship. Manmohan Singh and Medvedev also discussed cooperation in defence technology, supply of T-90 tanks and issues related to acquisition of nuclear powered submarines.

Russia and India are looking to boost bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2010.
 
President Medvedev, the first head of state to visit India after the terrorist attack on Mumbai, also pledged support for India's fight against terrorism.

Medvedev postponed a planned trip to Italy after the death of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II in Moscow, and left for Moscow later in the day.