NEW DELHI, May 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who returned here Tuesday evening from Russia, described the relations between India and Russia to be "in fine shape" and said that he was looking forward to a more "comprehensive discussion" with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this year.

    "President Putin and I discussed bilateral relations on the margins of the celebrations. I am happy to note that the India-Russia relations are in very fine shape," Manmohan Singh told reporters at the Palam airport here.

    He had gone to Moscow Sunday to attend the Victory Day celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

    In a statement, Manmohan Singh said: "I met President Putin yesterday and it was an occasion for a very substantial review of our ties. Let me say it was an extremely warm and positive meeting,though brief. President Putin told me that India is special for Russia."

    "It was a useful visit. It also provided an opportunity to meetUS President George W Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minster Junichiro Koizumi, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmanov and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev," he said. Enditem