Putin, Manmohan laud India-Russia agreements in New Delhi

Moscow, Jan 31 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the warm welcome during his recent official visit to India and the events celebrating Republic Day, the Kremlin press service said.

During a telephonic conversation yesterday, Mr Putin ''expressed his gratitude to Indian authorities and personally to Manmohan Singh for the warm welcome during the official visit to India and the events celebrating Republic Day,'' the press service said.

''Vladimir Putin and Manmohan Singh praised the agreements reached during the Russian-Indian summit,'' it said, adding the ''Implementation of these agreements will act as a significant, additional stimulus to the further development of the relations between the two strategic partners.'' ''They exchanged opinions on concrete steps that both parties must take in the near future in order to attain these goals,'' the press service noted.

Fresh from his return from his visit to New Delhi, President Putin ordered Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov at a Cabinet meeting on Mondayto control the fulfillment of the rupee debt agreement.

''Indian colleagues have given consent. There are many projects, all of them high tech. We are interested in these projects and must carry them on to the end,'' the Russian President said.

UNI