Russian President Vladimir Putin's one-day visit to India on Monday offered a chance to reaffirm Moscow's interest in the country and deepen cooperation though arms deals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a signing ceremony in New Delhi on Monday. GRIGORY DUKOR / REUTERS

The visit is Putin's first to India since he began a new six-year term in the Kremlin in May.

Putin said in an article published in the Indian newspaper The Hindu on Monday that strengthening ties with India is among the top priorities of Russia's foreign policy.

Xing Guangcheng, a Russian studies expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Russia cherishes an interest in India dating back to the Soviet era when India was an ally. Ties have been strengthened after the break-up of the Soviet Union, he said.

Putin's visit, originally scheduled for November, was postponed to December, with the Kremlin saying he was suffering from a muscle pulled during judo training.

Key defense deals were the highlight of his visit, with Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailing cooperation between their countries as officials signed a $1.6 billion deal for India to buy 42 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, and a $1.3 billion contract for delivery of 71 Mil Mi-17 military helicopters.

Even though India remains the leading customer for Russia's arms industries, Moscow has recently lost several multibillion-dollar contracts to Western weapons makers, according to The Associated Press.

India used to rely heavily on Russia for arms purchases, but Moscow now faces challenges as New Delhi is increasingly diversifying its supply channels for weapons, especially from Western countries such as the United States, according to Fu Xiaoqiang, an expert on South Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

However, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said ahead of the visit that Russia's military ties with India will expand and deepen, adding that fears about Russia losing its dominance in the Indian arms market were exaggerated.

In his published article Putin also stressed the possibility of the two countries' efforts resolving global and regional problems, including the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, and in Afghanistan. He also said that joint work by the two countries in other spheres, such as among BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, could be deepened.

AP contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at [email protected]