MOSCOW, December 23 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive Monday in India on an official visit expected to focus on economic ties, energy and multi-billion dollar defense deals.
During the visit, the Russian leader will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee and also meet with Indian National Congress Chair Sonia Gandhi and opposition leader Sushma Swaraj.
The upcoming negotiations will focus on the construction on the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (KNPP), India’s participation in Russia’s Sakhalin-I project as well as the production of an export variant of Russian plane-maker Sukhoi’s T-50 stealth fighter, which India plans to begin from 2020.
“Russia considers India as one of the most deserving and strongest candidate for the permanent member of the expanded UN Security Council and supports its decision to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO),” Yury Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, said.
Russia and India celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. The Russian-Indian trade is expected to reach a record high of $10 billion by the end of the year.
“The negotiations will contribute to the broadening, deepening and improvement of cooperation. A number of agreements will be reached,” Ushakov said adding “I’d rather not anticipate the events, but you will see the results of the negotiations.”