India to ink RELOS Agreement approved by Russia for augmenting military exercises, HADR missions

In a significant development, aimed at bolstering military cooperation, the Russian government has approved a draft logistics agreement with India. The draft agreement now published on the Russian legal information portal and seen by an international news media agency, is a key step in increasing operational engagement between the armed forces of the two countries.

A logistics pact such as the one proposed, facilitates mutual logistical support between countries during various military operations including peacekeeping missions, humanitarian aid missions and joint military exercises. If this agreement is signed, it will give India access to Russian facilities in the Arctic Region, which is seeing increased global activity as the new shipping routes open up.

The conclusion of the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) has been delayed for several years. Official sources said this was the same agreement which has now been approved by the Russian side and it has to be signed by both sides before it can become effective. The agreement as and when concluded will be valid for five years and will be renewed automatically unless either party notifies the other of its desire to terminate it, sources said.

The support usually involves critical services like refuelling maintenance and supply provisions and increases interoperability. This agreement allows the military of India and Russia to use each other’s facilities for resupplying and refuelling during joint exercises port visits and other agreed activities.

According to the Russian media agencies, the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has instructed the Ministry of Defence to commence negotiations with their Indian counterparts to finalise the document. The agreement if accepted, will be effective for a period of five years and will be subject to automatic renewal unless either party decides to terminate it.

This draft logistics pact is a continuation of the longstanding military relationship between Russia and India. In 2021, the two countries signed a comprehensive agreement of military technological cooperation extending until 2030.

India’s engagements with logistics pact are not new. The country has similar agreements with the United States of America, France, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and Japan. These pacts have been pivotal in enhancing India’s strategic reach and operational readiness ensuring that its military can sustain longer and more complex deployments.

Defence cooperation is a major pillar of the India-Russia strategic partnership and is guided by the agreement on military technical cooperation. The agreement for the decade from 2021 to 2031 was signed during the inaugural meeting of India-Russia 2+2 dialogue held in December 2021.

The cooperation agreement involves interaction between troops, and also addresses issues of the supply and development of weapons and military equipment, the Russian Ministry of Defence explained. A Navy-to-Navy cooperation agreement along the same lines has also been in the works for some time.