Thaindian News

By Sarwar Kashani
Onboard Air India One, Dec 8 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s three-day official visit to Russia was “extremely successful, productive” and reinforced a “rock solid” strategic partnership between the two countries, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said Tuesday.

“The three-day trip has been extremely successful and very, very productive by any definition,” Rao told reporters onboard the prime minister’s special aircraft while returning to New Delhi from Moscow.

She said the visit, during which India sealed a broad based civil atomic pact with Russia and three key defence pacts, “reinforces the fact that India and Russia have a very close and rock solid strategic partnership”.

Rao said Indian and Russian leaders focussed on priority areas of bilateral partnership and how the two countries intend to take this forward through intensive efforts in the coming months.

“The prime minister’s discussions with Russian leaders have been wide ranging. The PM and President Medvedev exchanged views on wide ranging issues like climate change, relations with India, Pakistan and China,” she said.

The foreign secretary, who is credited to have played a vital role in sealing key pacts with Russia, said the two sides “have recognized the potential of trade and investment in each other’s country”.

At the India-Russia CEO’s Council meeting Monday night, Rao said the Russian co-chair of the council Vladimir Evtushenkov spoke of the prospects for cooperation in the field of telecommunications.

“Trade is rather at low level between the two countries. We have set targets and multiplication will go on,” she noted.

She said trade and investment between India and Russia would see a “dramatic increase” in the coming times.

The potential for collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry was also stressed at the meeting, she said.

The prime minister at a joint news conference Monday underscored how India could help in supplying affordable drugs to Russia because of the excellent knowhow it had in this field.

The Indian co-chair Mukesh Ambani at the CEO council meet spoke of the opportunities for Russian participation in the infrastructure development sector and cooperation in pharmaceuticals, including joint development of new technologies in the health sector, as also telecommunications.