Monday, December 5 2005 09:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: Seeking to give a qualtitatively new dimension to India's strategic partnership with Russia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday (Dec 4,2005) said there was great scope for expansion of nuclear cooperation and energy security would be high on the agenda of his talks with President Vladimir Putin.

The Prime Minister, who arrived here to a red carpet welcome for a three-day visit heading high-level delegation for his annual summit with Putin, told reporters accompanying him that India and Russia would discuss regional and multi-regional cooperation to tackle the issue of energy security and resolve the problem of energy scarcity.

Singh is keen on Russia's initiative in civilian nuclear cooperation as the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is working on easing the curbs on supply of nuclear fuel to India.

The importance India attaches to have nuclear cooperation with Russia is manifest in the presence of Atomic Energy Department Secretary Anil Kakodkar in the delegation which also includes National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and other senior officials.

"Energy security is very high on my agenda. We have already invested in Sakhalin-I (gas and oil project in Russia) an we are looking at how to enlarge cooperation in the field of energy", the Prime Minister said.

About the Kundankulam Nuclear Project in Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister said it was being built with Russian help and there was great scope for expansion of nuclear cooperation with Moscow.