Indian PM leaves for visit to Russia, China

NEW DELHI - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left New Delhi Sunday for a five-day visit to Russia and China.

In a statement upon departure, Singh said that the proposed border cooperation agreement with China will top the agenda during his visit to Beijing.

He said he will discuss the issue with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang with a forward-looking and problem-solving approach.

"India and China have historical issues and there are areas of concern. The two governments are addressing them with sincerity and maturity, without letting them affect the overall atmosphere of friendship and cooperation," he said.

"I will be discussing some of these issues as part of strategic communication between leaders with a forward-looking and problem-solving approach," he said.

He also said that India and China have reached important consensus on maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border and made preliminary progress towards settlement of the India-China boundary question.

His visit to China comes afer Li Keqiang paid a highly successful visit to India in May this year.

During their meeting in Beijing, the two leaders are also expected to discuss expanding and furthering economic and trade cooperation.