India and Russia are the world’s consummate examples of pluralistic societies with a strong sense of national and cultural unity, operating in a federal political framework. Another common element of fundamental importance is that both countries are democracies - with a commitment to freedom of speech, assembly and a strong Parliament and judiciary.

One of main aspect of relevance is that both the countries have developing economies with substantial human resources and of course strong science and technological capabilities. This creates large and significant possibilities for mutually beneficial economic and technological cooperation.

History, geography, and political culture all played crucial roles in the development of India’s conventional forces and nuclear capabilities during the Cold War.

India’s sudden emancipation in 1947 after centuries of subservience created a fierce determination to preserve Indian independence no matter what the cost - an attitude often bordering on paranoia. During the Cold War years, there existed a historical pattern in the Indo-Soviet relationship that supported India’s quest for regional security and independent global stature. As a result, far from being an enduring and close “special relationship,” the historical foundations of the Indo-Soviet relationship reveal an opportunistic relationship in which India’s needs are a match for Soviet capabilities, and Soviet needs are a match for India’s strengths. Moreover, the strength of the Indo-Soviet relationship depended upon the short-term impact of Indo-US interactions. Additionally, major South Asian policy decisions made by the United States during the Cold War clearly depict that the cementing of the “special” Indo-Soviet relationship.

Marked with stability and continuity the Indo-Russian cooperation relation between India and Russia is includes diverse areas as trade and economic, science and technology, defence and military-technical cooperation and so on.

The Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) was established in 2000 with a view to strengthen the bilateral defence cooperation. Sharing a friendly relation for a long time and having a strategic partnership since 2000, the two governments have steadily developed and strengthened bilateral cooperation covering a range of areas of which defence forms a significant component.

The Eighth Meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military- Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) held in New Delhi covered a broad spectrum of issues including supply of defence systems, equipment upgrade, product and life cycle support for defence equipment of Russian origin.

Emphazing on the major issues relating to regional and global peace and security, the meeting also discussed licensed and joint production, joint development and production of systems and platforms, interaction between the two armed forces and military technical cooperation.

Taking a significant step, India and Russia has taken a decision to cement their strategic ties and has agreed to extend the tenure of the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) by another ten years on the expiry of its present term in 2010.

To avoid delay in decision-making and to speed up the implementation of various projects, both sides agreed to establish a joint working group at the Defence Secretary level to coordinate the work of the intergovernmental commission.

Defence Minister Shri AK Antony, at a joint press conference announced formation of the apex committee to solve problems faster on different issues related to ongoing and proposed projects for acquisition, joint development and production, joint defence R&D and interaction between the defence forces of both countries. This committee, jointly headed by Defence Secretaries of both countries would meet atleast once in six months with its first meeting held in Moscow. Further proposals have been discussed relating to about 200 joint projects, including the modernization of the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (formerly the Admiral Gorshkov) for the Navy, the transfer of technology (ToT) for the licensed assembly of T-90 tanks in India, the production of BrahMos missiles and the purchase of Smerch MLRS by India.

Defence Minister Mr. A.K. Antony  said that the 10-year extension of Indo-Russian joint panel on military and technical cooperation is an important event between the defence establishments of the two countries. Also, it is a landmark event in close and strategic bilateral relations. He further described the extension of the tenure of Indo-Russian joint panel on military and technical cooperation by another 10 years as ’a landmark event’.

Regarded as the one of the most import ant event, the Indo- Russian Defense Cooperation has enabled to build close and strategic bilateral relations and a crucial step towards maintaining regional and global peace and security.