NEW DELHI, Oct 20: Russia and India on Monday started laying the groundwork for the signing of a civil nuclear energy deal, following New Delhi’s signing of similar pacts with Washington and Paris.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in India for talks with his counterpart Pranab Mukherjee as well as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, ahead of an expected visit to New Delhi in December by President Dmitry Medvedev.

An Indian foreign ministry official said the two former Cold War allies were expected to sign an atomic energy deal when Mr Medvedev makes his first visit on Dec 5.

The pact, agreed on during a visit by former Russian president Vladimir Putin in January last year, envisages Russia building four reactors in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.—AFP