Believe partners understand our pressing and essential defence needs: India

NEW DELHI: India in a veiled message to USA in the backdrop of threat of sanctions over purchase of S-400 systems stated that it believes “all our partners understand India's independent policy and India's pressing and essential defence and security needs”.

“India has a long term, long-standing relations of Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership with Russia. With the United States, we have a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” Indian Ambassador to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma told Russian news website Lenta.ru

“Our relations with each country stand on their own merits. India has an independent foreign policy. We take decisions based on our defence and security needs,” the Ambassador said.


The S-400 contract is presently being implemented according to the schedule indicated in the contract. “We believe that all our partners understand India's independent policy and India's pressing and essential defence and security needs. So India's position is clear and this is something that we have made known to all our partners,” the Ambassador pointed out.

With regard to defence partnership with Moscow, the envoy noted, “...Russia has responded positively to every defence requirement that India has had. They have implemented very strictly all the contractual obligations entered between the Defence Ministries of both countries. So we are satisfied with the level of military support and supplies that Russia has provided to India.”

When asked about India’s request for some specific arms in the recent past, Varma informed, “Yes, this is an ongoing discussion between India and Russia, but I must say that any request that India has made, Russia has reacted positively.”

India has long standing defence ties with Russia. “Our defence relationship with Russia is a critical factor in our security. We are very confident that Russia fully understands India's security needs and we are very satisfied in the manner in which Russia has responded to India's defence and security interests, including in the recent past,” the envoy pointed out.