New Delhi, April 22: Russia and China have agreed to closely cooperate with India in a trilateral format for resolving key international issues, Press trust of India (PTI) reported from Moscow on Thursday.

It quoted official sources as saying the decision was taken during high-level interactions between visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and the Russian leadership. Mr Li, who is on a three-day visit to Russia, called on President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at his country residence near Moscow.

Welcoming Mr Li, Mr Putin noted that "the treaty on strategic partnership is working fully well, and our bilateral trade grew 25 per cent last year. It is generally admitted that our business relations with China are developing fairly well, and we're having regular contacts at the top level."

There would be more meetings between the two sides later this year. "I hope we'll discuss the entire list of our bilateral efforts," Mr Putin said, referring to his forthcoming contacts with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tashkent in June, the Asian Pacific Economic Summit in Chile and the Sino-Russian Beijing Summit in October.

The PTI said that with the expansion Nato into the former Soviet boundaries in the Baltic region, and with the overlapping expansion of EU, Russia was focusing on developing its military and economic ties with China and seeking a more close cooperation within the Indo-Russia-China triangle.