Wednesday, November 16 2005 15:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: The joint Indo-Russian anti-terror exercises initiated in Rajasthan last month are expected to be continued on Russian soil as part of military-to-military contacts between the two strategic partners, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said.

At his meeting with India's Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee yesterday (Nov 15, 2005) Ivanov said he hoped and expected that the joint military exercises begun in India would continue in Russia, state-run RIA Novosti reported. During his 80-minute interaction with Mukherjee, Ivanov said the two countries had very similar approaches to the modern threat of terrorism and the Indra-2005 military exercises held in Rajasthan in October confirmed this.

Lauding the effective organisation of the war games, Ivanov also thanked Mukherjee for the hospitality accorded to him during his India visit.

Later inaugurating the fifth session of the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) here, the steering body of long-term defence cooperation between the two countries, Ivanov declared that bilateral Indo-Russian military and technical cooperation contributes to peace and stability not only in South Asia but also in the world.