Krishna to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday to attend IRIGC

Vinay Shukla

Moscow, Oct 20 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S M
Krishna will arrive here on Tuesday on a two-day visit during
which he will co-chair a session of Indo-Russian
Intergovernmental Commission (IRIGC) to discuss ways to
further consolidate the bilateral strategic partnership.

Krishna and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei
Sobyanin will chair the 15th session of IRIGC meet on
Wednesday which will review the progress made by the two
countries in bilateral cooperation in trade, economic,
cultural, scientific and technical spheres.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently appointed his
trusted ally Sobyanin as the new co-chairman of IRIGC, sending
a strong signal to New Delhi about willingness to revamp the
economic ties with India, which have so far remained the
weakest link in bilateral strategic partnership.

The session will also look at the status of Russia's
commitment to the full implementation of the joint declaration
on strengthening and enhancing economic, scientific and
technological cooperation signed during the then President
Putin's visit to India in 2000.

On the eve of Krishna's visit, Indian Ambassador Prabhat
Shukla said the Indo-Russian bilateral trade has registered a
15 per cent growth and the two nations are confidently moving
towards achieving the target of USD 10 billion by 2010.

At present the bilateral trade stands at USD 7 billion.
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