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Indo-Russian ties secure, Jaswant assures Moscow: AFP

Indo-Russian ties secure, Jaswant assures Moscow: AFP External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh assured, in an interview published on Thursday, that New Delhi's recent rapprochement with Washington would not affect long-standing ties with Moscow. Singh is on a four-day trip to Russia doing the groundwork for President Vladimir Putin's visit to India in October.

"The relations between India and the Russian Federation are based on permanency, trust, mutual understanding and a coincidence of views and interests. This relationship cannot be affected by India's relations with a third country," Singh told Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily.

He backed Russian and Chinese opposition to United States' plans for a missile defence shield that breaches the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. "Such actions with regard to the ABM Treaty, which we regard as inconsistent with existing agreements, may curb prospects for further nuclear disarmament and weaken the non-proliferation regime," he said.

But the minister said that despite New Delhi, Beijing and Moscow sharing similar views on many international issues, they would not form any axis to counter US influence.

Among the topics that Singh is slated to discuss is a Russian proposal for a global system for monitoring missile non-proliferation, an idea which New Delhi supports, diplomatic sources said. Moscow has floated the idea as part of efforts to stall Washington's plans to build a 60 billion dollar anti-ballistic missile defence shield.

During talks on Thursday with Sergei Ivanov, head of Russia's influential Security Council, the two sides discussed a new strategic partnership accord to be signed in October.

EARLIER REPORT
Security, economic issues to top Jaswant's Moscow agenda

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