NEW DELHI: India and Russia have practically sealed the framework agreement on an omnibus nuclear energy agreement and bridged differences on the price to refurbish aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (formerly Admiral Gorshkov) that will project the country’s naval power in the Indian Ocean for at least two decades, said highly placed government sources.

Describing the proposed civil nuclear energy pact as “path breaking,” the sources said both sides only needed to sort out one sentence.

The pact covered the gamut of nuclear cooperation and was a “significant document” as it went far beyond the 123 Agreement in the civil nuclear energy sector signed with the United States.

The India-Russia pact promises enrichment #and reprocessing rights to India and assures the country against termination of ongoing projects and fuel supply arrangements if bilateral nuclear cooperation is ended for some reason. The pact with the U.S. has fallen short on both counts. “We are hoping we will sort out that sentence during delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the Russian leadership,” said the sources. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, Srikumar Banerjee, will be accompanying Dr. Singh.

Asked about the “festering wound that is Gorshkov,” the sources said it had been “healed.” Maintaining that both sides had “more or less” reached an agreement on the price that had been the bone of contention for nearly five years, they said India #appreciated the quality work done on the gutted aircraft carrier.