Russian and Indian leaders praising bilateral ties

President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of India gave a high assessment of the state of bilateral political and economic ties here today.

Putin and Vajpayee met each other aboard the M/S Silver Whisper ocean liner in the early hours of May 31. The Russian head of state thanked the Indian leader for finding time to attend celebrations devoted to St. Petersburg's 300-th anniversary.

This merely confirms the high level of relations that have shaped up between Russia and India, Putin said. We cooperate in the most sensitive areas, not to mention economic cooperation, the Russian leader went on to say.

Our military-technical cooperation, as well as partnership in the field of space exploration, keep developing rather actively, Putin added.

Moreover, the President of Russia praised the latest Russian-Indian naval exercises.

For his own part, the Indian Prime Minister noted that strategic-partnership relations between Russia and India were developing very well. Russia is India's good friend; and we are counting on Russia, Vajpayee stressed.