Manmohan in Russia to boost energy, defence and trade ties
15 Dec 2011
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today landed in Moscow on a three-day visit during which he will seek substantial expansion in bilateral trade and increased cooperation in areas like energy, defence, space technology and health between the two countries.
Ahead of his departure for Moscow to attend the annual India-Russia summit, the prime minister said his talks with the Kremlin leadership would also cover multilateral issues, especially on ways to beat the global economic downturn.
India and Russia can substantially expand their bilateral trade from the current $8.5 billion, the prime minister said.
The two countries had, in 2009, decided to set a target of $20 billion in bilateral trade by 2015.
The prime minister will hold a summit meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev on issues such as nuclear energy and hydrocarbons, apart from overseeing the signing of several pacts covering defence, health and science and technology.
"I will discuss mechanisms to further expand our bilateral cooperation, particularly in the trade, economic and commercial fields," Manmohan said ahead of his departure to Moscow.