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Putin thanks Vajpayee for release of Russian pilots

Russian President Vladimir Putin has personally thanked Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the release of five Russian pilots convicted in the Purulia arms drop case.

Putin telephoned Vajpayee on Friday to express his gratitude to the Indian government for the "goodwill gesture" which has had a "positive impact" on Russian society, a Kremlin press release said.

During the conversation, Putin stressed the importance of President K R Narayanan's pardon of the pilots.

The presidential pardon came after intense lobbying from Moscow, while Indian side did not try to hide the reason behind the decision.

The five pilots had been serving life sentences since 1995 in a Calcutta jail after being convicted of making an arms drop in Purulia.

Putin also discussed his forthcoming visit to New Delhi with Vajpayee and reiterated Russia's commitment to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation and interaction with India in all spheres of human activities, the release said.

During Putin's October visit to New Delhi, the two sides are expected to sign a declaration of strategic partnership and a number of key accords including some major defence deals.

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