VOA英语2010年-India, Russia Sign Defense and Other Deals

India and Russia have signed defense¹ and civil nuclear deals worth billions of dollars during a visit by the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to New Delhi. The two countries reaffirmed their long-standing friendship during the visit.

The most sought-after accord sealed between India and Russia Tuesday is for the joint² development of fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

India wants to purchase about 300 of these planes for its air force. The agreement is estimated to be worth about $30 billion, over the next ten years.

The two countries will also pursue a deal for Russia to build two additional generating units at a nuclear power plant in the southern state, Tamil Nadu, where it is already building two reactors³.

Securing defense and civil nuclear deals was on top of the agenda of the Russian president's visit. As India's relations have warmed with the United States and other Western countries, New Delhi has stepped up defense purchases from the United States, Europe and Israel in recent years. This has prompted Russia to lobby hard to retain its position as New Delhi's traditional defense supplier.

At a news conference with the Russian leader, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reaffirmed New Delhi's close ties with its old ally.

"Russia is a time-tested friend of India that has stood by us in our times of need in the past," Singh said. "Ours is a very special and privileged, strategic partnership⁴. It is a partnership that has and will continue to develop independent of our relations with other countries."

The two countries set a target of enhancing trade to $20 billion, by 2015. They also signed several agreements to deepen cooperation in a host of areas, including nuclear energy, pharmaceutical⁵ and the information technology sectors⁶.

The Russian president was the last of a series of world leaders to come to India in recent months, largely with an eye to boosting trade ties with one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

For New Delhi, a top concern has been securing support from these high-profile leaders for its ambitions to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Speaking through an interpreter, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reiterated⁷ that support.

"I would like to emphasize that Russia considers India to be a strong and deserving candidate to have a permanent seat in the Security Council, if a decision to expand this organ is taken," said President Medvedev.

The strategic friendship between India and Russia developed and deepened during the Cold War years.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

6 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。