Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin's forthcoming India visit will add "more substance" to the bilateral relations and fortify the strategic partnership, according to Indian Ambassador to Moscow, Kanwal Sibal.

"President Putin's visit will add more substance to our bilateral relations and renew trust in our political, Defence and economic contacts," Sibal said briefing the Moscow-based Indian media.

The Russian President is reaching New Delhi on December 3 for the fifth India-Russia summit since year 2000 and first after the installation of Congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and re-election of Putin for the second term earlier this year.

Putin's visit underlines the regularity of a high-level dialogue, which is an integral part of the efforts to build "real" strategic partnership, Sibal said.

Over ten documents are to be signed during Putin's India visit, including Joint Declaration and Joint Statement, which will reflect shared perceptions and views of India and Russia on the whole gamut of bilateral and international relations, including global combat against terrorism, strengthening the UN role and creation of a multi-polar world.

Energy cooperation is emerging as a thrust area to fortify the strategic partnership and four MoUs are to be signed between Indian and Russian oil and gas majors during Putin's India visit, which will not only boost bilateral economic interaction, but also ensure the country's energy security.

During his recent Moscow visit Union Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar declared that in the first 50 years of independence, Soviet Union had ensured India's territorial integrity, now Russia can ensure India's energy security.

Aiyar's Moscow talks set the energy security agenda for the Manmohan-Putin summit.

India has already invested $ 1.7 billion in offshore Sakhalin-1 oil and gas field in Russia's Far East, where ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has 20 per cent stake in the consortium of the US Exxon-Mobil, Japan's SODECO and Russia's Rosneft.

Russia has offered several sites to India for investment including Eastern Siberia, Sakhalin-3 and third country ventures in Caspian oil fields, including Kurmanghazi of Kazakhstan.

ONGC and Russia's Gazprom are to enter into strategic partnership to identify routes for the transportation of Iranian, Burmese, Siberian, Caspian and Central Asian hydrocarbon resources to India.

The energy cooperation with Russia can become equally important element of the Indo-Russian partnership as Defence cooperation.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov is leaving for India on November 30 to set the military agenda of Putin's New Delhi talks.

In New Delhi Ivanov is to co-chair the session of Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Co-operation, with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee. This would be their first interaction.