Defence technology transfer to India would continue: Russian envoy

PANAJI: Russian ambassador to India, Alexander M Kadakin, today said there was no question of his country discontinuing the transfer of military technology to India, and blamed the speculation on "vested interests".

"We don't like when some quarters outside India or vested interest inside India implant the idea that something is wrong (with defence ties between Russia and India). If something is wrong then our military portfolio with India would not have exceeded USD 20 billion," Kadakin said here.

Calling the media reports that Russia might stop technology transfer and instead sell military equipment to India as "wrong", he said, "We gave you first MiGs. In future also we will continue doing it. We will together produce the fifth generation fighters along with India."

"Other countries have been promising technology for decades to India but never delivered it. Our cooperation with India even in the nuclear field is flourishing and continuing," he said. "We share with India those technologies which we don't share with anybody....We have supplied most sensitive technology to India. We are the country which has shared with India a nuclear submarine. We have shared BrahMos missile technology which is best in the world."

The two countries signed defence contracts worth USD 5-6 billion last year, the Ambassador added.

He also said that Russia did not like it when it was bracketed with other countries vis a vis nuclear cooperation with India. "Even while expanding the nuclear programme (with India) we are against being put on same shelf as other countries," he said.

Reminding of sanctions on India (following Pokhran nuclear tests), he said, without naming USA or any other country, "Sanctions don't do any good. But those who did it and have not done anything in nuclear field in India cannot have same position (as) that of friendly country like Russia."

Kadakin was here on the occasion of appointment of Victor Albuquerque as the Honorary Consul General of Russia in Goa.