Patil for cementing inter-parliamentary contacts with Russia

Patil, who is on a five-day state visit here, stated this when she met the Chairman of Russia's Federation Council (Upper House) Sergei Mironov.
"The President highly valued inter-parliamentary cooperation and we are interested in strengthening them," Mironov told reporters after his parleys with Patil.
India is a federal state and has "much common" with Russia, he noted.
"India has accumulated unique experience of parliamentarism, that's why inter-parliamentary relations with this country have a practical interest," the Russian Upper House Chairman underscored.
He announced that Vice President Hamid Ansari, who is ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha, has been invited to attend the celebrations of Parliament Day in Russia on September 29.

Mironov noted that so far the inter-parliamentary relations between the two nations were limited to interaction at the level of committees and commissions and in the past years there was no direct contact and interaction at the level of speakers and chairs of the Houses.
"Rajya Sabha Chairman's forthcoming visit will fill this void," Mironov said.
Patil is also scheduled to meet the Speaker of the State Duma (Lower House) Boris Gryzlov and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Economic interaction and energy cooperation, nuclear as well as conventional, will be the "principal focus" of Patil's talks with Putin, Indian Ambassador Prabhat Shukla said.

Pratibha Patil to discuss trade, energy with Russian PM
 Indian President Pratibha Patil will meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin here later Friday for talks focusing on bilateral trade and energy.
India and Russia enjoy close bilateral ties, particularly in the areas of defence, nuclear energy and the space industry. The two countries have completed the design of an unmanned lunar orbiter due to be sent to the moon in 2011-12.
Last year was the Year of Russia in India, and 2009 is the Year of India in Russia.
According to Russian data, since 2005 bilateral trade volume has grown by 30 percent annually. In 2008, the $7 billion mark was reached. Despite negative world tendencies, in the first six months of 2009 trade increased by almost 18 percent year-on-year. Machine building accounts for 49 percent of Russian exports to India.