India and Russia are looking at firming up a number of agreements, initiatives and projects to add more substance to the ties during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi early next month.

As part of the preparations for the visit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held extensive talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

"This particular occasion, for me, is all the more important as we prepare for President Putin's visit to India for the 23rd annual summit," Jaishankar said in his opening remarks at the meeting.

"A number of bilateral agreements, initiatives and projects are under discussion in various fields. We look forward to their finalization in the coming days," he said.

"These will certainly add more substance and texture to our

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