Tuesday, August 22 2006 10:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: India and Russia have agreed to hold joint wargames on Russian soil next year to enhance military ties and share experience in handling low-intensity conflicts at high altitudes, Army Chief General J J Singh said here.

Singh, who is on his maiden visit to Russia, held wide- ranging talks with Chief of General Staff of the Russian armed forces General Baluyevsky and Commander-in-Chief of the Land forces Colonel General Alexei Maslov yesterday.

"We have agreed to enhance our co-operation, including joint exercises on Russian soil in 2007," he told Indian reporters here.

Describing his talks with Baluyevsky and Maslov as 'meaningful,' Singh said a whole range of issues of services- to-services cooperation were discussed including sharing of experience and security assessment in the neighbourhoods of Iran and the US.

"We have experience in something, like mountain combat, they have experience in cold climate combat, we can share our experience," the army chief said adding the two armies could also share their experience in combating militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and Chechnya.

Responding to a question, Singh said that he did not discuss the issue of sustained delivery of spares as it has been taken up through various channels including by the Indian ambassador in Moscow.

The army chief also declined to identify the weapons which India could be interested in acquiring from Russia, known in the past as a wholesale supplier of military hardware for the Indian army.