Extending greetings to new Russian President Dimitri Medvedev, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] has invited him to visit India, a proposal which has been accepted.

Singh extended the invitation to Medvedev during a telephone conversation on Thursday evening when he conveyed his best wishes to the new President.

Medvedev accepted the invitation, sources said.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the current state of Indo-Russian relations and reaffirmed their commitment to the strengthening of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

In a separate message, Singh congratulated Vladimir Putin [Images], who took over as the new Prime Minister of Russia [Images]. He conveyed his admiration for the progress that Russia made under the Presidency of Putin.

Singh described Putin as a 'great friend of India' who laid the foundation of the India-Russia strategic partnership.