Vajpayee almost summed up the mood when he said, "We can say that our ties of friendship have been further strengthened and we are ready to face new challenges."
He described Russia as among the "most trusted friends" of India and said the two countries could depend on each other.
External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and his Russian counterpart signing, in the presence of Vajpayee and Putin, a protocol on joint publication of bilateral archives.
Photo: PIB