IANS/Moscow
India and Russia are “very close” to clinching a commercial deal on the third and fourth reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu with only the legal vetting of the deal left to be done, sources said yesterday.
The sources, however, said an agreement would not be inked during the current visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Singh arrived in Moscow yesterday on the first leg of his visit to Russia and China.
“We are very close to an agreement, we have settled most of the issues ... it is with the lawyers of both sides at present ... In any case, it won’t be signed in Moscow during the prime minister’s visit,” the source said.
Russia has set up two 1,000MW nuclear reactors in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu of which the first is set to produce electricity in a few months and the second one slated to attain criticality in six months’ time.
With regard to the third and fourth reactors, Moscow had voiced concern about India’s civil nuclear liability laws, according to which the onus falls on the supplier in case of an accident.
“It is only for the lawyers to say yes, it is in the last stage,” the source added.
Asked about the liability clause, the source said it was because of that aspect that the agreement is being vetted by lawyers from both sides.
“Everything has been settled, all that is done.”
Energy co-operation is set to form a major component of the talks between Singh and Russian President Vladmir Putin today when the two meet for the annual India-Russia Summit.
With Russia known to have one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon reserves, India would be seeking to go in for exploration in oil and gas, especially in the Arctic region and the Far East of Russia. But no agreements are expected to be signed on the issue during the visit, another source said.
Singh and Putin would also discuss international issues, especially Syria and Afghanistan.
Both sides have a similar approach on Syria - that the issues in the violence-wracked country have to be settled through a political process, the source added. Around 100,000 people have been killed in the ongoing civil war in Syria where rebels are seeking to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad and hundreds of thousands have fled the country.
India has consistently opposed any proposal for military intervention by the West in Syria.
On Afghanistan, both sides are very concerned about any return to radicalism and extremism and both sides have co-operated to prevent this earlier too, the source said.
The prime minister was given a red carpet ceremonial welcome.
He was received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
Earlier, before leaving on the visit, the prime minister had described the annual summit as an “important feature of our special and privileged strategic partnership.”
He said India’s scope of ties with Russia is “unique, encompassing strong and growing co-operation in areas such as defence, nuclear energy, science and technology, hydrocarbons, trade and investment and people to people exchanges.”
He said he would convey to Putin “the importance we attach to our relations with Russia, and I will use this visit to strengthen our partnership in every possible way.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greets Indian officials in a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport yesterday.
