Thursday, December 1 2005 20:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: Noting that Indo-Russia dialogue has reached an 'unprecedented level of intensity', Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said he looked forward to a broadening of cooperation in the areas of economy and high technology.

"The Indian-Russian dialogue in various spheres has reached an unprecedented level of intensity," Singh said in an interview to 'Rossiyskaya Gazeta' newspaper published today (Dec 1, 2005).

"I would like to see great achievements in the economic sphere. The rapid growth of Russian exports to India could allow a broadening of various kinds of cooperation in the areas of atomic energy, investments in infrastructure and exports of high technology," he said.

Singh's comments come ahead of his visit to Russia beginning Sunday during which he is scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin and high-ranking officials.

"We hope to see rapid development in areas where India is a leading world player: information technology, biotecgnology, the pharmaceutical industry and diamond processing. Another real basis for broadening our strategic partnership in the coming years is cooperation in the energy sector," Singh said.

The Prime Minister said Indo-Russian bilateral relations were based on goodwill and the two peoples' belief that friendship and cooperation meet their long-term interests.

The two countries have been cooperating closely in areas of defense with India building multi-role fighter jets Sukhoi under license, and joint development of BrahMos cruise missiles.