The sky is the limit in Indo-Russian cooperation in the field of hi-technology and both the nations could benefit from their core competence, former Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam said today.
"Sky is the limit and we need to move from highly successful BrahMos JV to similar ventures in commercial sector involving the use of hi-tech," Kalam said addressing the students and faculty of the prestigious MGIMO University of International Relations here.
"BrahMos is a significant technological breakthrough, when scientists from both countries benefited from the core competence of their partners and developed most cost effective way to achieve the goal," Kalam, who is known as the 'Missile Man of India', said.
Kalam noted that India and Russia already have 'purposeful cooperation' in hi-tech sectors like space and nuclear energy.
Kalam is here on a three-day visit to attend the Global Policy Forum to be chaired by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the ancient city of Yaroslavl tomorrow.
Addressing Russia's future diplomats trained at MGIMO University on 'empowered international diplomacy' Kalam noted that the 20th century closed the chapter started by the Romans, Crusaders and Arabs when war was an essential instrument of human development by grabbing land.
"The multilateral thinking has emerged after the Cold War. China and India - the new economies, are making their presence felt. The new generation of diplomats would have to think global and act local by learning to thrive on each-other's complementaries and competency," Kalam said.
Responding to a question, Kalam said the nuclear non-proliferation treaty has become useless as cyber war would be more devastating for all the countries with networked financial and economic resources.
"Cyber war, with the speed of light can destroy whole economies and one cannot defend with the help of ICBMs and nuclear weapons. My diplomatic mission is how to make nuclear weapons useless!" Kalam said.
When asked about how India and Pakistan could patch up their relations, Kalam recalled his address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where the countries, which fought wars over the centuries and unleashed two world wars, were sitting in the common parliament and working for peace and prosperity of their common region.
"Education up 17 years of age for everyone will broaden the mindset and allow us to celebrate our differences," Kalam said.
He added that regional organisations like SAARC are the steps in the right direction and one day could usher in the dream of their common parliament like in Europe.
