Cold war allies India and Russia sought on Friday to instil new momentum into their longstanding relationship, tidying up energy and military ties. India is looking to Russia's vast resources to meet its growing demand for energy. "We have laid down several new milestones for expanding, widening and deepening our co-operation with Russia," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a news conference after his first talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking power in elections in May.
In a joint declaration, the leaders said the governments would encourage investment by energy firms in each other's countries but no big deals were unveiled.
Putin backed a bigger role for India at the UN Security Council.
"India is our candidate number one in terms of enlarging the geographical representation of the Security Council," Putin said when asked about New Delhi's longstanding desire for a permanent seat on the UN body.
India, in turn, has backed Russia's entry into the World Trade Organisation. Russia needs bilateral agreements with WTO members before before it can join the global trade policy group.
Singh said problems faced by the Indian military in sourcing spares from Russian arms manufacturers had been resolved.
New Delhi and Moscow share a strong friendship dating back to India's support of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. About 70 percent of India's military equipment is of Russian origin.
The Russian leader travels to India's technology capital of Bangalore in the south on Saturday before returning to Moscow.
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