Medvedev to discuss trade, energy during India visit

MOSCOW/NEW DELHI - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will Monday begin an official three-day visit to India during which he will discuss trade, economic, energy and cultural cooperation as well as international issues.

During the visit, he will meet his Indian counterpart Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna.

A number of documents are to be signed following the Russian president’s talks with the Indian leaders.

Relations between the two countries have blossomed in recent years, with India becoming one of the biggest importers of Russian military hardware, RIA Novosti reported Monday.

In 2009, Russia-India trade reached the $7.5 billion mark. The countries plan to raise the figure to $20 billion by 2015.

Medvedev will hold formal talks with Manmohan Singh Tuesday morning - which will the eleventh edition of the annual bilateral summits which started with declaration of strategic partnership in 2000.

Also on Tuesday, Medvedev will travel to Agra, before moving on to to Mumbai. In India’s commercial capital, he will visit the Indian Institute of Technology and Film City.

Earlier, Russian envoy to India, Alexander Kadakin said Russia was upbeat about building 14-16 nuclear reactors in India over the next few years, but asked New Delhi to bring its civilian nuclear liability legislation in line with global norms.

The two countries would ink an accord under which Russia would set up two more 1,000 MW units at Kudankulam, Kadakin had stated.

On Sunday, external affairs ministry joint secretary (Eurasia) Ajay Bisariya said that talks for technical and commercial for the third and fourth reactors at Kudankulam nuclear power plant “were on”. “The first unit will go critical soon, followed by second unit,” he said.

Further, he added that negotiations were on for the second site for setting up a nuclear power plant with Russian help.