MOSCOW: External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh will seek Russia's help to get international nuclear restrictions on it lifted, push for broader access to Russian energy resources and urge Russia to buy more Indian tea and coffee during his four-day visit to Moscow this week.

Now that New Delhi has reached a nuclear deal with the U.S., Mr. Singh is expected to ask Moscow to deliver on its commitment to take forward nuclear energy cooperation with India and get the Nuclear Suppliers' Group open the door for India to peaceful nuclear technologies.

The standoff over Iran's nuclear programme is also likely to come up in Mr. Singh's talks in Moscow, especially in the light of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent visit here. India backed an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution against Iran, while Russia abstained, but neither country wants the issue to go the UN Security Council. Mr. Singh's visit presents a good opportunity to discuss what can be done to resolve the problem within the IAEA framework.

Mr. Singh, who arrives on Tuesday, will co-chair with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov an annual meeting of the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC) for Trade, Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation. He will also call on President Vladimir Putin and hold talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Russia later this year.

Energy cooperation will top Mr. Singh's economic agenda during his visit. India, which has invested close to $ 3 billions into the Sakhalin oil and gas project, is seeking a bigger foothold in Russia's huge energy sector. Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has paid three visits to Russia in less than a year, but talks on new joint projects are yet to move into the concrete phase.

Major concern

Another major concern for New Delhi is declining exports of traditional goods to Russia, which is affecting employment in India.

"In the context of our efforts to increase bilateral trade we are going to look at ways to step up traditional Indian exports to Russia, considering that Russian exports to India are going quite well," a senior Indian diplomat said.

According to Indian statistics, Russian exports to India stood at $1.8 billion last year, while Indian exports to Russia trailed far behind at a mere $ 750 million.

The External Affairs Minister will press the Russian side to resolve problems in getting Russian visas by Indian businessmen, which the Indian diplomat described as a "roadblock for efforts to boost trade."

"We will register our concern over this problem and try to persuade the Russian side to accelerate the signing of an agreement to ease travel rules," he said.

Mr. Singh will also attend a meeting of the heads of governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. India, which was granted an observer status in the SCO in July along with Iran and Pakistan, is now looking forward to getting full membership as part of its efforts to raise its profile and presence in energy-rich Central Asia.

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