Moscow: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived in Moscow tonight (Nov 11) for the annual summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to concretise strategic ties between the two countries, which are slated to sign 10 agreements on cooperation in the fields of science, space, trade and industry.

Landing in Moscow on the first leg of his three-nation tour after an eight-hour long flight with a detour to avoid the Pakistani airspace, Vajpayee was received at Vunkovo airport by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Boris Aleshin and Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov, senior officials and Indian Ambassador K Raghunath. He was given an inter-services ceremonial guard of honour on the tarmac.

Shortly after his arrival in cold weather, the Prime Minister, who is heading a high-level delegation including External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, attended a private dinner hosted by Putin at his sprawling 'Novo-Ogaryovo' woodland estate on the banks of Moskva River on the city's outskirts.

"My discussions with President Putin and other representatives of the Russian leadership will cover major global and regional political and economic developments," Vajpayee said in Delhi before embarking on the visit that would also take him to Tajikistan and Syria.

The Air India jumbo took three hours longer as it had to fly through West Coast of India and the Gulf due to overflight ban across Pakistan after the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament.

Vajpayee will have formal talks with Putin tomorrow, their third this year, during which defence cooperation, fight against international terrorism and the situation in Iraq are expected to figure prominently.

Though a formal deal on the much-discussed purchase of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov is not expected, crucial discussions are likely to be held on issues like the complement of aircraft to be stationed on board.

The Prime Minister said his visit to Russia was in keeping with the agreement between "our two countries to have annual summit meetings, so that we can constantly review and build on the progress in various elements of our strategic partnership".

PTI