Russia terms PM's weekend visit as 'official'

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is arriving in Moscow on November 11 on a two-day 'official' visit for the regular annual summit with the Russian President Vladimir Putin to further advance bilateral strategic partnership between the two countries in all spheres, including energy, defence and space cooperation.

'Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will pay an official visit to Russia on November 11, on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin,' the Kremlin press service announced on Tuesday, ending the reported protocol row between New Delhi and Moscow over the categorisation of the prime minister's visit.

This will be 8th annual summit between the two heads of the government, alternatively held in India and Russia since 2000, and the last one between Putin and Dr Singh, as the Russian President will hand over power to his successor after presidential election in early March.

Putin had visited India last January, when he was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. In view of the campaign for Russian parliamentary election on December 2 and presidential poll in early March, the schedule for the annual summit was advanced to November.

Putin himself discussed the preparations of the forthcoming visit with Dr Singh, when in a remarkable show of personal chemistry between the two leaders he called up the Indian prime minister to greet him on his 75th birthday in September.

'Russia has known you as an authoritative statesman and prominent scholar and initiator of large-scale reforms that helped India enter the 21st century as a country with a fast growing economy,' Putin said, adding 'We highly value your great personal role in strengthening the diversified strategic partnership between Russia and India.'

The summit between the two leaders is the culmination of a series of high-level visits here, including those by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony and President of ICCR Dr Karan Singh, aimed at preparing the trade, economic, defence, energy security, space and cultural agenda for the talks.

Russian Security Council secretary Valentin Sobolev visited New Delhi in the last week of October to fine-tune the agenda for the bilateral talks.

During the PM's visit, several agreements are expected to be signed, including in the field of energy security, trade and economic

spheres.

At the last summit in New Delhi, the Russian President bolstered the strategic partnership by enhancing India's energy security with a Protocol of Intent to construct four additional reactors at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, now under construction. The two sides have been working at an Inter-Governmental Agreement on this.

It is expected that an agreement to build four more reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant may be signed during PM's visit.

In October, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, who co-chaired the IRIGC meeting with Mukherjee in New Delhi, said India and Russia will sign a comprehensive nuclear pact during Dr Singh's visit, which will provide for the construction of four additional reactors at Kudankulam and lay down guidelines for long-term cooperation in nuclear energy.

'The issue is currently being considered, and I hope the agreement to build additional four power units will be signed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit here,' Sobolev said on October 30 after his talks with Dr Singh. 

'This is necessary for India and is useful for us. The construction of four power units means at least 10 years work,' he said, adding that Russia will supply fuel for the units on the condition that spent nuclear fuel is subsequently returned.

He further said Russia proposed that India invest in the construction of a uranium enrichment centre in Angarsk, east Siberia, adding that this will be one of the possible areas for cooperation, considering the bilateral cooperation for building the Kudankulam nuclear power plant.

Russia also is exploring the possibility to build fast neutron nuclear power plants in India, if sanctions against India were lifted.

If Russia begins construction of four additional nuclear power reactors on which an agreement in principle has already been taken, the bilateral trade figures will grow up, which currently stands at $4 billion, sources said.

The two countries have a target to reach a figure of $10 billion by 2010.

The protocol signed at the IRIGC meeting took note of the fact that bilateral trade had increased from $2 billion to $4 billion and was well on target to $10 billion by 2010.

The sides agreed on the terms of using the outstanding Indian rupee debt equivalent to $1 billion for joint venture investments in India.