Ahead of Prime minister Manmohan Singh?s visit to Moscow next month, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee is leaving for Russia later this week.
The visit assumes importance as Russia is an influential member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), and Mukherjee?s three day visit from Thursday is expected to send the message across that New Delhi?s growing ties with Washington are not at the expense of ?old time-tested friends?.
According to official sources, the minister will not only be firming up Singh?s agenda but he will also call on Russian President Vladimir Putin and hold talks with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including the India-US civil nuclear deal.
The two sides will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of bilateral programme of cooperation in science and technology that includes cutting-edge research in peaceful uses of space.
Besides this, Mukherjee will also be co-chairing a meeting of the inter-governmental commission that deals with diverse bilateral issues ranging from business, technology to defence and energy.
According to sources, also, high on the agenda is a slew of high-technology defence deals, including one on the co-production of a fifth generation of stealth fighter aircraft. Mukherjee is also expected to express India?s concerns over the price hike, but also the delays being caused by Russia in delivering weaponary that India has contracted for.
Mukherjee?s visit, will be followed by defence minister AK Antony, later this month before Singh?s nearly a month later.
This visit, according to sources is part of the broader diplomacy of the government to convince its left allies that New Delhi?s growing strategic and economic ties with Washington are not at the expense of any third country.
Russia was one of the first few countries, along with Britain and France, to support the India-US nuclear deal after the two sides struck the historic deal in July 2005.