Putin to cement Indo-Russian ties: senators

New Delhi, Apr 29 (UNI) The Indo-Russia relations, which slackened after the breakup of the Soviet Union, will enter a new phase of dynamism and pragmatism when Mr Vladimir Putin officially becomes Prime Minister on May 8, top Russian senators said today.

''Mr Putin will give a boost to Indo-Russian relations... as Russia moves to a multi-party democracy,'' Mr Nokolai Tulaev, heading a delegation of members of the Council of Russian Federation, told reporters.

The delegation, which also includes senators Oleg Pantoleev and Alexander Suvorov, is here to study the working of the Indian Parliament and incorporate its procedures in the Russian Parliament.

''We are very much impressed the way open discussions on important subjects take place in Indian Parliament.... We want to incorporate that,'' Mr Tulaev said.

The senators were also impressed by the healthy interaction between the government and the Parliamentarians which, they said, was lacking in Russia.

The Russian Government should also be responsive to Parliament, they opined.

''We have come here to strengthen our historic relations with India ... and make them prosperous,'' said Mr Tulaev, chairman of the Commission on Parliamentary Procedures and Organisation of Parliamentary Activity of the Russian Federation Council.

Yesterady, the three-member delegation met Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

Mr Chatterjee said the Parliamentarians can play a proactive role in cementing age-old relations between the two countries and should, therefore, interact more frequently in mutual interest.

He also evinced keen interest in the political processes and Parliamentary procedures followed in Russia, and said the two countries could share their experiences in the working of a Parliamentary democracy.

The delegation members will meet the Deputy Speaker of the Rajya Sabha later today.

They will learn the peculiarities of the legislative process, including the procedure of adoption of financial statues and constitutional amendments.

UNI YJ HS DS1236