Rekha Chakravarthi, Research Officer of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, India

Of course, this is a positive development for both India and Russia. The India-Russia cooperation in the nuclear sector is not new. Besides, India and Russia are not just looking only for nuclear cooperation, but agreements have been also signed in such areas as trade, defense, space etc.

The agreement on civil nuclear cooperation is an extension of the largely positive relationship that India and Russia have been sharing. India is only happy to strengthen its energy cooperation with Russia, especially in the nuclear field.

France, Russia and the USA are expected to be prominent players of the Indian nuclear market. The TVEL corporation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of nuclear fuel and the just concluded hefty contract with the nuclear fuel producer explains the fact that the Indian nuclear market is huge and Russia will be a significant player at it. Also, New Delhi has always appreciated its nuclear relationship with Russia, which has been viewed as reliable.