India, Russia likely to sign N-cooperation pact

MOSCOW: India and Russia are expected to sign several key agreements, including a comprehensive pact on nuclear cooperation, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit here next month, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said on Friday.

Talking to Indian mediapersons after the 13th session of Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation, Zhukov underscored the significance of the traditional nuclear cooperation with India and ongoing construction of two 1000 VVER nuclear power reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu.

Noting that Moscow views New Delhi as its strategic partner, the Minister said Russia has reaffirmed its commitment to build four more such nuclear reactors for power generation in India.

Zhukov, however, did not go into the details of the nuclear pact to be signed in November. "It would be a framework agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy," he said.