New Delhi: India and Russia today held wide- ranging talks on nuclear, space, energy and economic cooperation and agreed to finalise the long-pending deal for the third and fourth reactors of Kudankulam power plant soon.
Chairing the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC) meeting in Delhi, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin deliberated on a range of issues to further enhance cooperation in key areas.
Sources said the progress made in Kudankulam nuclear power plant (KNPP) was assessed by both sides. It was hoped that by April-May, the nuclear power plant will achieve full capacity.
They also reviewed the "rapid progress" being made on completion of Kudankulam unit two and hoped that it would be connected to the power grid before the end of the year.
The sources said there was a general agreement to build on the momentum underway and conclude at an early date the general framework agreement on Kudankulam 3 and 4.
Earlier Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said India hoped the agreement on Kudankulam 3 and 4 will be signed very soon. Russia, with whose collaboration KNPP has been set up, is opposed to the project coming under the ambit of the Nuclear Civil Liability Law of India and wants it to be covered under the inter-governmental agreement on the issue.
The first unit of KNPP started generating power from last year. India has tried to assuage Russian concerns by making proposals on the liability limiting it to suppliers default in cases of equipment failure in the event of an accident.
Discussions on space encompassed possibilities of cooperating on space applications including use of Glonass for tracking navigation of heavy trucks and other services.
Glonass is an alternative to US-run Global Positioning System (GPS). It was agreed that India Trade Show to be held in Moscow in 2014 September would be an appropriate opportunity for ensuring that major tie-ups could be reached between businesses of both sides.
The possibility of Russia being a partner in India International Trade Fair in 2015 was also discussed. Other areas of discussion included North-South Corridor in which India and Russia are working along with Iran.
The discussions between Rosnet and OVL in setting up a joint study group to assess the feasibility of LNG pipeline were also reviewed as part of the prospects for enhancing energy cooperation.
The sources said possibility of export of Indian bovine meat to Russia was also an item of discussion. The two Co-Chairmen agreed that full-fledged meeting of the IRGIC later during the year would pave the way for the annual summit to be held in New Delhi.
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