banglanews24.com
Russia and India have signed new defence deals worth $2.9bn during President Vladimir Putin’s day-long trip to India.
Under the accords, India will buy 42 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and 71 Mil Mi-17 helicopters.
Putin held talks with Indian PM Manmohan Singh during his visit, reports the BBC.
Moscow has long been Delhi’s main weapons supplier but has lost out on several major deals to Western companies in recent years.
Trade between Russia and India is currently worth about $10bn a year, but has been growing more slowly recently.
Ahead of the visit, Putin said that he wanted to increase bilateral trade to $20bn by 2015.
Monday’s talks between Putin and Singh also included the security situation in the region, including Afghanistan.
‘India and Russia share the objective of a stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan, free from extremism,’ Singh was quoted as telling media after the talks.
The Russian leader also said that the military co-operation between the two nations has reached an ‘unprecedented level’.
