Enhancing bilateral and economic ties as well as taking the nuclear dialogue forward will be the focus when Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov arrives here Thursday on a two-day visit, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reported here Tuesday.

Seven deputy ministers and a high-profile business delegation will accompany Fradkov, who will hold wide-ranging discussions Indian with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other cabinet ministers.

"The trip is expected to further improve economic and trade ties," IANS quoted Vyacheslav Topchyan, counselor at the Russian embassy, as saying.

Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Commerce Minister Kamal Nath will be involved in the talks.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will jointly organise a business meeting the day he arrives.

It is reported that since 1992, trade between the two countries has been far from satisfactory. In 1990-1991 period, the two countries registered over 5 billion U.S. dollars of bilateral trade. The figure decreased to less than 2 billion U.S. dollars in 2003-2004 period.

Officials also said the India-US nuclear agreement was bound to be covered in the talks as Russia is a key member of the 44-member Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG).

India is expected to use its friendly ties with Russia to lobby with the NSG for approval of the deal so that it can get heavy water and other equipment for civilian nuclear reactors.

Source: Xinhua