Indian Deputy Foreign Minister: BrahMos sale contract to Vietnam is nearing completion
New Delhi is sending a strong message about its desire to play a larger role in security in Southeast Asia by publicly announcing plans to sell BrahMos missiles to Vietnam.
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BrahMos missile
Speaking to the press about President Mukherjee's upcoming visit to Vietnam, Mr. Anil Wadhwa, Deputy Foreign Minister of India, said that defense officials from New Delhi and Hanoi have discussed a proposal to supply BrahMos missiles to Vietnam.
Deputy Minister Wadhwa did not give details about the progress in the negotiations between India and Vietnam on this contract. However, a source told Deccan Herald that the negotiations are at an advanced stage and Moscow has given its nod to New Delhi to supply BrahMos missiles to Vietnam.
"New Delhi has received Russia's consent to supply BrahMos missiles to Vietnam".The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is a product of the BrahMos Aerospace Joint Venture, established in 1998. This joint venture includes the NPO Mashinostroyenia (НПО Mашиностроения) - representing the Russian side and the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
Several countries such as Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia have expressed interest in importing the BrahMos missile. However, Deccan Herald sources said that Vietnam could be the first customer of this missile.
President of India Pranab Mukherjee
Moscow and Hanoi have also held discussions on a cooperation program and the development of a missile production in Vietnam based on Russia's Kh-35 Uran missile platform.
However, the talks may not have made much progress, although Hanoi is keen to strengthen its arsenal to address immediate security issues. During General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to India in November 2013, Hanoi proposed to negotiate with New Delhi on the supply of BrahMos missiles.
New Delhi has also provided a line of credit worth about $100 million for Vietnam to purchase military equipment from India. Discussions on these issues will be held during President Mukherjee's visit to Hanoi.
President Pranab Mukherjee is on a four-day visit to Vietnam from Sunday (September 14), with New Delhi confirming it is in talks with Hanoi about supplying BrahMos missiles to the Southeast Asian country.
Source Infonet
