Carrying forward their strategic partnership to new heights, India and Russia will sign ten agreements and a joint statement in Moscow during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's three-day visit starting Tuesday.

Also see: India, Russia working on aircraft: PM

The two sides will also ink a Declaration on Global Challenges to deal with issues relating to security and stability, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told a press conference in New Delhi.

Vajpayee, who heads to Moscow for the annual summit on the first leg of his three-nation week-long tour that will also take him to Tajikistan and Syria, would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth time in the last one year, reflecting the 'new dimension' the close bilateral relations have acquired.

Observing that the Indo-Russia defence cooperation have transcended from a buyer-seller relationship, Sibal said the defence ties between the two countries would be reviewed at the highest level.

Asked whether the deal for purchasing aircraft carrier 'Admiral Gorshkov' would be finalised during the visit, Sibal parried the question, saying the defence ministry would make an announcement 'at the appropriate time.'

Sibal said the accords to be signed covered cooperation in science and technology, space, industry, establishment of an Indo-Russian centre for earthquake research, joint publication of bilateral archival documents and inter-banking
arrangements.

External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and senior officials will accompany the prime minister.

Vajpayee had met Putin in December in New Delhi, in May this year at St Petersburg and again on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September.

On the issue of civilian nuclear cooperation in the field of energy, he said both sides were interested in stepping up ties in this hi-tech area.
 
India is interested in acquiring more Russian nuclear power reactors, Sibal said but added that the problem that persisted was Moscow's international obligations under the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an issue similar to the one confronting France. "It is a problem to which we have not found any solution," he said.

Vajpayee will have a one-to-one dinner meeting with Putin on Tuesday before getting into delegation-level talks the next
day.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov will call on the prime minister during his stay
in the Russian capital.