India-Russia ties privileged, strategic: PM

Cooperation with Russia is a "special and privileged strategic partnership" for India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday.

"The depth, diversity and dynamism of our cooperation testifies to the fact that ours is truly a special and privileged strategic partnership," the prime minister said in a Twitter message after his summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He thanked Putin for giving a new push to the ties between the two countries.

"I express my deep appreciation to President Putin for his contribution in giving new direction and content to India-Russia relations," he said.

"Our discussions were characterised by the warmth, goodwill and trust that permeate all aspects of our partnership," he said.

The prime minister said he was satisfied with the cooperation between the two countries in various areas.

"I am satisfied with the progress in our bilateral cooperation, including in defence, energy, high-technology trade, investment, space & trade," he said.

Noting that the two countries have "a high degree of convergence on global developments and collaborate constructively in international forums", the prime minister said "the Kudankulam nuclear power project is an important symbol of our strategic partnership where commercial power production will start shortly".

"Our defence cooperation continues to be strong, and we expect that Russia will remain a key defence partner for India," he said.

The prime minister thanked President Putin for his "personal efforts towards securing a peaceful political settlement to the Syrian conflict".

"We also emphasised our shared interest in a peaceful and stable transition in Afghanistan next year," he said.

The prime minister expressed hope that the ties between the two countries will grow.

"I am confident that we'll successfully exploit our growing convergence of interests and take our strategic partnership to even greater heights," he said.