President, Prime Minister to visit Russia this year

New Delhi, July 23 (ANI): President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be visiting Russia separately in next five months to discuss strategic issues of bilateral cooperation, including defence, nuclear energy, trade and space.

Patil will pay a state visit in September followed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trip to Moscow for the India-Russia Annual Summit in December.

The Russian President will attend the Summit, Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur informed the Rajya Sabha.

She said the 15th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC) on trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation, co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, will take place in Moscow in October.

In October, the 9th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC), co-chaired by the Defence Ministers of India and Russia, will also take place in Moscow, she said. (ANI)