Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is arriving in Russia on a visit, the Indian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
During his visit, Singh plans to discuss military and technological cooperation, ways to boost economic development, nuclear power industry as well as science and medicine partnership with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other top officials.
Up to ten cooperation agreements, mainly in the defense and energy spheres, will be signed during the visit.
The sides will also discuss a number of international problems.
Shortly before his visit, the Indian premier said Russia-India relations are unique.
“It is impossible to draw any parallels or compare the relations between India and Russia and our relations with some other countries. We [India and Russia] have a specially privileged strategic partnership,” Singh told Russian journalists accredited in India.
Bilateral trade in 2010 totaled some $9-10 billion. The countries plans to double it by 2015.
The bilateral military cooperation program in particular stipulates that Russia will transfer the K-152 Nerpa attack submarine to India on a 10-year lease by the end of 2011. The deal was signed in 2004.
Other aspects of cooperation include the planned delivery of INS Vikramaditya (the former Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov) to India in December 2012 after an upgrade, and the contract to supply India with 80 Mil Mi-17 Hip-H helicopters, expected to be fulfilled by the end of 2013.
Russia is also building the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in southern India.
