NEW DELHI. Dec 6 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia and India have signed a protocol on military-technical cooperation following negotiations in New Delhi, at which Russia was represented by President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov.
"The document reflects an understanding that negotiations on signing an agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights should be completed in four months. In addition, Russia and India confirmed their willingness to start negotiations on opening service centers for the maintenance of Russian military hardware" in India, Ivanov said.
The two countries also discussed prospects for cooperation, and the protocol reflects the intention to expand cooperation in creating a fifth generation aircraft, particularly a multifunctional transport plane, and also such missile weapons as Tunguska and Smerch, Ivanov said. "We have offered a total of over 350 draft contracts estimated at $3.5 billion to India," Ivanov said.
No new contracts were signed during the current visit, Ivanov said. "No new contracts were planned," he said, adding that Russia and India have already signed a number of contracts worth $3 billion this year.
India also needs weapons it bought from Russia to be serviced, the defense minister said. "For instance, Russia has supplied India with over 10 diesel submarines, which have been commissioned for the Indian naval forces, and they now need maintenance and modernization, which we are providing," he said.
Russia's relations with India "include not only military-technical cooperation but also joint military efforts, particularly on settling the situations in the hotbeds, such as Afghanistan, the Middle East, or Iraq," Ivanov said.