New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday thanked Russia for its support in India's efforts to fight terror, adding that the menace of terrorism cannot be defeated with "double standards".
The Minister was speaking at the 16th meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC). His Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu was also present.
"One of the key security challenges faced by India is cross-border terrorism. We appreciate Russia's consistent and unwavering support for India in our efforts to eliminate this menace, which is a manifestation of the continued presence of terrorist groups in India's neighbourhood," Parrikar said.
"Russia has also been actively engaged in efforts to eliminate terrorists in West Asia. We both recognise that the menace of terrorism cannot be defeated with 'double standards'. There is a need for 'zero tolerance' and collective efforts to combat terrorism," the Minister said.
Parrikar said that while military technical cooperation is progressing well between India and Russia, more focus is needed on traditional military-to-military cooperation.
"The pace and depth of our exchanges at the level of chiefs, training of personnel in each other's institutions, joint military exercises between all armed forces should be enhanced. We could mutually work out the modalities of increasing the military-to-military cooperation and draw up a roadmap for implementation," he said.
The Minister added that India-Russia defence cooperation "continues to develop positively to our mutual benefit".
A report in Sputnik, meanwhile, quoted Shoigu as saying that India and Russia have started discussing and will continue discussing issues related to the after-sales service of the previously supplied military equipment.
The two sides also discussed projects including joint manufacturing of Ka-226 helicopters, BrahMos cruise missiles, and S-400 Triumph air defence systems.
