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Medvedev to push for military, nuclear deals in India
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AFP, 20 Dec 2010.

Conventional Arms

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrives in India Tuesday, the latest in a line of visiting global leaders seeking military and trade deals with the world's second-fastest growing major economy.

Traditionally India's default defense supplier, Russia now faces stiff competition from Europe and the United States as India diversifies its sources of military hardware and becomes more demanding over pricing and quality.

"The Russians are uncomfortable with the changing scenario and Medvedev needs to convince India why Moscow should remain our regular defense provider," said retired Indian Army general and military scholar Afsir Karim.

Medvedev's lobbying trip comes hard on the heels of similar visits by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, as well as US President Barack Obama.

All three announced deals and framework agreements worth billions of dollars, and the Russian president will also be looking to seal key accords on the supply of military fighter jets and the construction of nuclear power stations.

In an interview published in the Times of India on Monday, Medvedev said he viewed the growing competition for India's booming defense market with "serenity and pragmatism".

"We are ready to compete, the main point being that the fight for contracts is fair," he said.

The president will hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday and then travel the next day to India's financial capital, Mumbai.

Wary of China's military modernization drive, India is embarking on what global consultancy firm KPMG has described as "one of the largest procurement cycles in the world".

Between now and 2016, India's defense sector is expected to spend 112 billion dollars on capital defense acquisitions, KPMG said in a recent report.

Among the deals on offer is a 12-billion-dollar contract for 126 fighter jets and Medvedev will be pushing hard for India to select the Russian-made MiG-35.

But European and US aeronautical giants including Dassault Aviation, Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. are also bidding for the tender.

The president will seek to finalize an agreement for the joint production of a fifth-generation fighter with stealth capabilities that could be worth up to 30 billion dollars, with India planning to induct as many as 300 of the aircraft.

New Delhi and Moscow enjoy close ties that date back to the 1950s and even as India looks to build new strategic partnerships, analysts say Russia retains a competitive edge as a tried and tested ally.

"India needs to keep in mind the fact that, in this changing and complex global order, preserving the trust of a consistent supporter is very important to meet the challenges that may arise in the future," said Pallavi Pal, a researcher at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.

On the nuclear front, Russia is already building two reactors in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Medvedev is hoping to seal deals for two more during his visit.

Energy-hungry India is one of the world's biggest markets for nuclear technology with ambitious plans to reach a nuclear power capacity of 63,000 megawatts by 2032, from the current level of 4,560 megawatts.

Medvedev is scheduled to take time out during his stay in Mumbai, the capital of India's Bollywood film industry, to visit a movie studio.

Bollywood films are popular in Russia where they are regularly shown on a number of private TV channels.

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