India views Russia as an important partner in the steel industry. The foundation of this partnership was laid back in September during the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok. Indian Ambassador to Russia Sri D. Bala Venkatesh Varma told reporters on Wednesday.
The Ambassador spoke at a commemorative exhibition dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi and his friendship with Russian writer Leo Tolstoy in the State Duma.
“We expect India and Russia to be partners in the field of energy security, which implies Indian investments in Russia as well as Russian investments in India. Coking coal is another priority in the Far East. We have a large steel delegation that has just completed its visit to Moscow. And we consider Russia an important partner, "Varma said.
The ambassador added that the foundations for this partnership were laid earlier, during the Eastern Economic Forum earlier in September, when Russia and India signed more than 50 agreements, including those related to defense and energy cooperation.
Some of these agreements include memorandums of understanding and /or cooperation on the supply of liquefied natural gas in India, coking coal mining in the Russian Far East, and the acquisition of Russian-made helicopters from the Indian Ministry of Defense. The forum was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the event.
