BY : ZEE NEWS

Russia will deliver aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov to India as per schedule as stakes are "very high" for both the countries in the flagship defence project, India�s outgoing ambassador Kanwal Sibal said.

"Officially the Russian government has communicated to us in writing that Gorshkov will be delivered on schedule. If the situation were to change we would have been communicated in writing," Sibal said commenting on media reports about delay in the delivery of Kiev class aircraft carrier to the Indian navy.

"We have monitoring teams on the ground at Sevmash shipyard and are aware of the situation on the ground," the envoy said addressing a news conference here at the end of his three year Moscow stint.

Earlier, Russian media had reported about the delay of two-three years in delivery of retrofitted aircraft carrier against the delivery schedule of August 2008, mainly due to cost escalation and ill financing.

"Gorshkov is a flagship project of our defence cooperation. It is a high visibility project and its timely implementation would have impact on public opinion in India and demonstrate to the international community Russia's technological capability. So the stakes are very high for both the countries," Sibal observed.

Russian government has dismissed the director of Severodvinsk (north Russia) based Sevmash shipyard for the slippage in the schedule of Gorshkov upgrade and is believed to be making efforts on war footing to complete the USD 1.5 bn contract signed in January 2005 on time.