NEW DELHI, India, Nov.19, Reuter; Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov will arrive in New Delhi on Friday for talks with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and to inaugurate a Soviet Cultural Festival.
An External Affairs Ministry spokesman told reporters on Thursday that Soviet and Indian leaders will discuss international issues, such as arms reduction, as well as regional matters,
He described the visit as “yet another milestone in extremely friendly relations” between the two countries.
The Soviet Union is India’s biggest supplier of defence equipment and its largest trading partner afire the United States.
The spokesman said Indian and Soviet officials were working on agreements to expand technical Cooperation and on higher education.
India and the Soviet Union have already agreed to double their two-day trade to 7.5 billion dollars by 1992 and the spokesman said officials were engaged in identifying items they could trade with each other.
Ryzhkov will be accompanied by a team of 30 officials and will have two rounds of talks with Gandhi.
He will visit Taj Mahal in Agra and a Soviet built steel plant before returning home on November 25.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 27, 1987
