From correspondents in Delhi, India, 04:03 PM IST

India and Russia have arrived at a 'satisfactory price' for the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and the revised deal on it will be signed soon, a top official said here Sunday.

The official's comments come even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Moscow on a three-day official visit during which the two sides are expected to sign a framework civil nuclear cooperation agreement and three defence deals.

He did not disclose what that 'satisfactory price' was.

Indian and Russian defence officials have been negotiating the price for the purchase of the refurbished $2.2-billion aircraft carrier for over a decade.

Moscow is now asking on $2.9 billion for the aircraft carrier, nearly thrice the price that was originally agreed between the two sides in 2004. But New Delhi wanted the price to be scaled back to $2.1 billion.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)