India and Russia have a privileged, special strategic partnership, said Ajay Bisaria, the Foreign Ministry Deputy Secretary for Eurasia while confirming a visit to be paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec.10-11 for the 15th annual summit of the two countries with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Bisaria said that New Delhi and Moscow hold "identical or similar" views on important global issues, including the threat of terrorism and the need to ease the ever increasing tensions in global relations.
"India has clearly said that it cannot be part of the economic sanctions against Russia," reported Prensa Latina News Agency quoting.Ajay Bisaria, the Foreign Ministry Deputy Secretary for Eurasia.
He added that the two countries are rather shaping "a joint view of their relation for the next 10 years," in order to take them to higher levels, mainly focusing on redefining their economic partnership.
Hit by the fall in oil prices and by Western sanctions because of its stand on Ukraine, Russia is looking for new partners to prevent damages to its economy and even revitalize it.
Local diplomats said that during Putin's visit the parties are scheduled to sign some 15 agreements, some of them between private entities, with the common purpose to increase bilateral trade, currently estimated at 10 billion USD.
Cooperation in the field of energy (including nuclear energy), the purchase of weapons by India (Russia meets 80 percent of the Indian demand in this field) and the sale of some Indian food items to Russia are included in the agenda to be discussed by Putin and Modi, commented the sources.(KH)
