The delay in handing over of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov will impact Indo-Russia defence relations. India on Monday took a tough stand on the issue with Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta saying that the country ?ponders? where defence ties are going. Addressing a press conference on the eve of Navy Day, the admiral said there could be no renegotiation on the price of the aircraft carrier for which India has already made advance payment.
Responding to queries about the delay in the delivery of the aircraft carrier, the naval chief pointed out that we have paid more than $400 million for the carrier and we own it now, there is no need to leave it.
Ruling out the possibility of opting out of the Gorshkov deal, the admiral added, ?I have told the government that the Navy?s line is that we should not talk on renegotiating the price for the carrier.?
It may be recalled that the deal for the $1.5 billion was signed in 2004, at the end of extensive negotiations between both the countries. ?Our negotiations were in detail and we were clear not only about our requirements but the cost it involved,? he said. A high-level team from Russia is heading to India for renegotiation of the deal.
According to senior officials, ?There negotiations will set a bad precedent, therefore, the government should be catious before it goes for the talks.? He added, ?At the time of signing the deal, it was fixed-price contract and all eventualities were taken into account. We have to now see how our relations withMoscow are going to be affected.?