Sonia Gandhi on four-day visit to Russia

A red carpet welcome was accorded to United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi as she arrived in Moscow on Monday on a four-day visit to Russia as President Vladimir Putin's personal guest.

On a rainy Moscow morning, Gandhi was welcomed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov, Deputy Railway Minister Vladimir Yakunin and other senior officials at the VVIP Vnukovo-2 airport.

Gandhi is accompanied by External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh. Talks with President Putin in his hometown St Petersburg on Wednesday would be the political centrepiece of her visit.

"This visit is an exceptional gesture of friendship made by the Russian president taking into account the high degree of importance attached by both sides to India-Russia

relationship," Indian ambassador Kanwal Sibal told reporters.

Gandhi on Monday is scheduled to visit the ancient Russian city of Vladimir near Moscow.

In Moscow, besides meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, an old India hand, Gandhi is also scheduled to address a function on Tuesday organised in her honour by the 'Centre of National Glory of Russia', a civic body which has top Kremlin officials, including Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and daughter of the world's first cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin, Yelena Gagarina, on its trustee council.