Gorshkov’s final price tag awaits government nod
By IANSSaturday, January 16, 2010
NEW DELHI - Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma Saturday said that the final price tag of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which will be commissioned in the force as INS Vikramaditya, is awaiting the government’s approval.
“I cannot speak anything about the final pricing till the government’s approval is announced,” he told reporters here.
“But, yes, for any of these major induction programmes, we have a price negotiation committee, which has done its job and a mutually agreed price has been arrived at,” Verma added.
Indian and Russian defence officials have been negotiating the price for the purchase of the refurbished aircraft carrier for over a decade.
Moscow is now asking for $2.9 billion for the aircraft carrier, nearly thrice the price that was originally agreed between the two sides in 2004. But New Delhi wanted the price to be scaled back to $2.1 billion.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his visit to Moscow December last year, also pushed for the finalisation of the price.
