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The Russian leader warmly congratulated Manmohan Singh on his election and wished him success in his activities. For his part Manmohan Singh congratulated Vladimir Putin on his inauguration as President of the Russian Federation for a second term.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the development of Russian-Indian cooperation and a commitment to joint efforts to continue building up the strategic partnership between the two states.

The Indian Prime Minister confirmed his invitation to the Russian President to visit New Delhi in 2004.

Earlier Vladimir Putin sent a message of congratulations to Manmohan Singh. The message read in part:

“Russia knows you as the initiator of important economic reforms which helped to turn India into a leading world power. We also recognize your personal contribution to the development of all-round cooperation with Russia.

“I would like to stress that in spite of the large-scale structural changes in our countries and the restructuring of international relations over the past decades, Russian-Indian interaction is still based on identical or similar fundamental interests, mutual respect and sympathy between our fraternal peoples.

“I am sure that following a course of strengthening strategic partnership will continue to provide a solid basis for the development of multi-faceted cooperation between Russia and India in bilateral, regional and global affairs. We strongly count on your personal support in this.”