Kremlin closes grip on Indian arms market
Published date: 12th March 1984, Mixed Paper Article
View PDFNew Delhi, Mar 11.
The Soviet Union has tightened its grip on the Indian arms market by offering an array of sophisticated weapons to a Government worried about growing United States military aid to Pakistan, defence analysts said today.
Indian officials said that under an agreement reached during the visit of the Soviet Defence Minister, Marshal Dmitry Ustinov, last week, new Kremlin supplies will include advanced fighter planes, helicopter gunships, tanks, missiles, submarines, air defence and electronic surveillance equipment.
The Soviet Union already provides about 75 per cent of India’s arms.
But one diplomat said Moscow was concerned about Indian purchases from the West, “so they have to offer India more.”
Western diplomats assessed the Ustinov visit as a reaffirmation of Moscow’s interest in India at a time of renewed Indo-Pakistani tension.
Cancelled last month just before former Soviet leader Mr Yuri Andropov died, the visit was rearranged with a speed that showed Moscow’s desire to keep close ties with India, they said.
The military nature of the visit was confirmed by the bemedalled top brass in the 55-member Kremlin party.
It included Soviet naval chief Admiral Sergey Gorshkov and first deputy chief of the general staff, General S. F. Akhromeyev.
Marshal Ustinov was treated like a visiting head of state.
He toured Indian defence factories and held detailed talks with the Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi and the Defence Minister, Mr Ramaswami Venkataraman.
In a banquet speech at the start of Marshal Ustinov’s five-day visit, Mr Venkataraman said military co-operation was an important part of the close bond between Moscow and Delhi.
Ironically, Marshal Ustinov’s last Indian visit, in December 1982, coincided with a cooling of the relationship.
Moscow had apparently insisted that weapons be bought off the Soviet shelf, while India wanted new technology.
This time Marshal Ustinov apparently promised to help boost local production soon to reduce India’s dependence on Moscow, Indian officials said.
India already assembles Soviet MiG21, 23 and 27 combat planes and T72 tanks.
The Indian Army plans to build Soviet-designed armoured fighting vehicles at a new factory in Mrs Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency in southern Andhra Pradesh state.
Observers said new Soviet supplies were likely to include the latest MiG29 swing-wing fighter aircraft.
Mr Venkataraman told parliament last week India planned to ask Moscow to improve combat planes to counter United States-built F16s supplied to Pakistan.
Western diplomats said Adm Gorshkov’s presence in the delegation meant Moscow wanted to bolster the Indian Navy.
Marshal Ustinov’s scheduled visit last month would have coincided with a little publicised call at the southern port of Madras by four Soviet naval ships, including the formidable aircraft carrier Novorossiysk.
“The Kremlin is concerned over the escalation of the Iran-Iraq war and probably seeks to counter the expansion of United States bases on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia,” said one embassy official.
Indian newspapers were not generally over the visit, though they gave it broad coverage.
— Reuters
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