India, Russia cooperation need of the hour: PM

Hoping that India and Russia will engrave a new chapter in bilateral ties, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the strategic partnership between the two nations gains greater importance due to global economic crisis and political developments in different countries. Issuing a statement prior to his departure for Russia, Singh said, “I look forward to an indepth exchange of views with the Russian leadership on the crisis facing the global economy and the political developments in our extended neighbourhood, including West Asia, the Gulf and Afghanistan and the impact of all this on peace and stability in the world.”[caption id=“attachment_156921” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption] The prime minister said consultations with Russia on global issues are of utmost significance now owing to global environment. “I will discuss with (Russian) President Medvedev how to further enhance our consultations in international forums like the United Nations Security Council, G-20, BRICS as well as the East Asia Summit which Russia has recently joined,” he said. Singh also endorsed a people-to-people connection between India and Russia and broadening the scope of cooperation. “Our relations encompass diverse sectors including nuclear energy, defence, space, science and technology, hydrocarbons, trade and investment and people-to-people exchanges. I will discuss mechanisms to further expand our bilateral cooperation, particularly in the trade, economic and commercial fields,” the prime minister said in the statement.