Indian Navy Ships Will Shortly Get Access To Russian Ports As It Approves Long Pending Draft Mutual Logistics Agreement

Russia has finally approved the draft of a long-delayed mutual logistics agreement which will allow armed forces of both countries to use each other's military facilities.

According to reports, the draft was published on Russia's official legal information website, which authorised the mutual logistics agreement.

The agreement called the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) was delayed for a long time. After the approval, RELOS will come into effect as soon as both countries sign the draft agreement.

According to the draft, RELOS will be valid for five years and will automatically renew unless notified otherwise.

The Indian Navy will be the biggest beneficiary of RELOS since its ships, destroyers, and submarines will be able to get supplies from Russian military facilities across the world. It will also give India access to the Arctic region where Russia has a widespread presence and operates a significant number of military facilities.

It will also allow better military-to-military exchanges for exercises, training, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions (HADR).

India has already signed such agreements with multiple countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, France, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Logistics support is the most crucial part of a large-scale naval operation. Fuel for ships and food and water for the crew are the basic necessities required for a naval crew to operate effectively in a long-term deployment.

It also reduces the operational turnaround time of the ships and increases interoperability.