India and Russia signed a path breaking nuclear deal on Monday, which
ensures uninterrupted fuel supplies even if the agreement is
terminated.
It didn't have the pomp and show of his Washington trip, but the Prime
Minister's visit to Moscow has clinched a nuclear deal that officials
say goes way beyond the 123 agreement with the United States. The deal
was inked is for 5 new Russian nuclear reactors in India.
"We have signed an agreement that broadens the reach of our cooperation
beyond supplies of nuclear reactors to areas of research and
development and a whole range of areas in nuclear energy," the Prime
Minister said.
According to the deal:
- The Russian agreement will ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies to its
nuclear reactors, even if the agreement is terminated. Under the US
deal, not only can America stop fuel supplies, it can also take them
back.
- The Russian deal gives India the right to reprocess spent fuel, and it
doesn't rule out the transfer of enrichment technology. The 123
agreement doesn't have this at all. In fact, India is currently
negotiating a reprocessing agreement with Washington separately.
Three defence agreements were also signed, including an extension of
the military cooperation programme for another 10 years. But there's
been no breakthrough in the logjam over the protracted bargaining over
the Gorshkov aircraft carrier.
