MOSCOW, Nov 11: India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Russia on Sunday for a visit focused on boosting economic and military ties between the two nations.

Russian and Indian officials are expected to sign an agreement that would allow Russia to re-invest funds it receives from India as repayment of its Soviet-era debt to Moscow in a number of sectors of the Indian economy.

A deal on cooperation in the development of a new transport plane and a document on joint fight against drugs also are on the table.

“Our time-tested relations are based on deep and mutual trust and understanding,” Singh said in an interview carried by the ITAR-Tass news agency. “Russia occupies a special and unique place in the Indian foreign policy.”

It quoted Singh as saying that “Indian-Russian cooperation will rise to new levels.”

India has been Moscow’s traditional ally since the Soviet times.

It has bought more than US$30 billion worth of Soviet and Russian arms since 1960, and has ranked alongside China in recent years as a top customer for Russia’s weapons industry.

Russia and India also conducted joint military manoeuvres, and are discussing working together on a next-generation fighter jet and a medium-range transport aircraft.

Russia is courting India to win a contract to supply it with 126 new fighter planes.

Russia’s MiG aircraft maker is facing tough competition from US, French and Swedish companies, but it hopes to win the bid with its latest MiG-35 plane.

Russia, which is building a nuclear power plant in Kudankulam, also hopes to win a contract for more nuclear reactors.—AP