New Delhi and Moscow held extensive talks on a number of aspects, including the US government’s policy statement on a new strategic arrangement, when Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov met Indian leaders here in New Delhi. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit to Russia has also been finalised and will take place in early November this year. 

Addressing a joint press conference after his meeting with Mr Igor Ivanov, external affairs minister Jaswant Singh said India had an unambiguous stand on the ABM treaty. He said the 1972 treaty should not be abrogated unilaterally even though several super-structures on disarmament had come into force in the world. 

He said New Delhi had welcomed the US decision of engaging various countries in constructive dialogue on its new policy, which indicates cuts in nuclear arsenals. “We believe that between mutually agreed decision and mutually assured destruction, the former is preferable,” Mr Singh said, spelling out India’s position on the US policy statement.

Before meeting Mr Singh, Mr Ivanov held talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and finance minister Yashwant Sinha. Mr Ivanov said the summit-level meet between the two nations would be held in early November in Moscow. Mr Ivanov handed over a letter from President Putin to Mr Vajpayee which laid down specifications to carry forward the relationship between the two nations and praised the friendship that exists.

On the bilateral front, he said the purpose of his visit was to analyse the progress of agreements reached during President Putin’s trip to New Delhi last October. Apart from their existing arrangement of consultations, the two sides have agreed to hold annual foreign minister-level meetings.

“We have had substantial discussions on all the problems, including the strategic balance in the world, and our approach coincides on these issues,” Mr Ivanov said. The Russian foreign minister said Moscow was looking forward to consultations with Washington over the issue of the US intending to build a NMD system. 

He, however, added that Moscow is not going to listen only to the US but will also put forward its position. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin had already come up with a cohesive programme with reference to missile defence and that Russia had proposed a substantial reduction of nuclear weapons to bring them down to 1,500 on both sides. 

It was reiterated during the meeting, which covered bilateral, regional and international issues, that agreements between India and Russia must be respected and any modification of these should be done through mutual consultation and understanding.