Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is leaving for a three-day visit to Russia on Sunday to witness the commissioning of a stealth warship in the Indian Navy and to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov on expanding bilateral cooperation in co-production of military hardware. .
The Russian-built multi-role stealth guided missile frigate INS Tushil will be commissioned in the coastal city of Kaliningrad on Monday.
Billed as one of the most technologically advanced frigates globally, the warship is expected to significantly strengthen the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities in the Indian Ocean, a region that has witnessed growing Chinese naval aggression.
Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi will also participate in the commissioning ceremony along with Singh.
Defense Minister Singh will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation from December 8 to 10, an official readout said on Saturday.
Singh and Belousov are said to co-chair the 21st meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) in Moscow on December 10.
The Defense Minister’s visit to Russia comes five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Moscow and held summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the talks, both sides decided to further strengthen bilateral defense ties.
Singh and Belousov will review the entire range of multilateral relations between the two countries in the defense sector, including military-to-military and industrial cooperation, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“They will also exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the statement said.
People familiar with Singh’s visit said talks between the two defense ministers will feature prominently in India-Russia cooperation in co-production of military hardware.
“As part of the visit, the Defense Minister will also commission Indian Navy’s latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate ‘INS Tusheel’ at Yantra Shipyard, Kaliningrad on December 9,” the ministry said.
Singh is said to pay his respects at the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ in Moscow to honor Soviet soldiers killed in World War II.
He is also scheduled to interact with members of the Indian community in Moscow.