Shot in the Arm for India-Russia Ties:

Four different pacts in the field of defence were signed at the end of the 20th meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) by the two countries on Monday, including a contract for procurement of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles, sources in the government said.

The meeting was held between defence minister Rajnath Singh with his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu. It was followed by the first-ever 2+2 ministerial dialogue between India and Russia being held alongside the 21st annual summit between the two countries, as part of which Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Delhi today.