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Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said that the interim trade agreement with the US will have no impact on defense cooperation between India and Russia. He clarified that India will continue the policy of multi-source defense procurement based on its strategic needs and will also further accelerate indigenous defense production. Speaking on a news channel programme, Singh said, the trade agreement with the US is not a hindrance in our defense relations with Russia. He said India will continue to purchase from Russia as per its operational requirements and if needed, will also take defense equipment from other countries including France, the US. According to him, India’s policy is balanced and pragmatic, aimed at giving top priority to national security.
Government is strengthening self-reliance in defense sector- Singh
Singh stressed that the government wants to further strengthen self-reliance in the defense sector. We will put double emphasis on indigenization. He said, in recent years, India has taken several initiatives to increase domestic defense production capacity and reduce dependence on imports. It is noteworthy that under the India-US Interim Trade Agreement, both the countries have agreed to reduce tariff barriers.
India will buy goods worth 500 billion dollars from America in the next five years
Apart from this, India has expressed its intention to purchase up to $500 billion of energy, aircraft, technology and coking coal from the US in the next five years. The US has also agreed to provide duty-free access to Indian agricultural products like spices, tea, coffee, mango, grapes and cashew nuts. This can boost Indian agricultural exports. The Defense Secretary’s statement indicates that India will move forward with its economic and security interests while maintaining a strategically balanced foreign and defense policy.