Meanwhile, Russia also seeks to boost relations with other Asian powers, including Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda visited Russia late last month in a fresh move by the two nations to promote bilateral ties, despite a festering territorial dispute over four islands in the Pacific Ocean. The major diplomatic barrier has blocked the two countries from entering a peace treaty after World War II.

The two leaders agreed to further cooperate in areas such as oil and gas, transportation and nuclear power, with Kremlin officials describing Fukuda's visit as "quite satisfactory on the whole."

On the economic front, Russia maintains mutually beneficial trade ties with many of its Asian partners. Its trade volume with China surged from 10.67 billion US dollars in 2000 to 48.17 billion dollars last year.

Trade volume between Russia and Japan has increased five-fold since 2003, despite the absence of a peace treaty.

Russia-West rift

Russia's reaching out to Asia has drawn international attention, especially after Medvedev took over as Russian president from Vladimir Putin.

Analysts say Russia is seeking to strengthen ties with Asian nations as a counterpoint to its lingering disputes with several western nations.

Opposition from Poland and Lithuania has repeatedly prevented the European Union (EU) from agreeing on a mandate to begin talks on a new partnership agreement with Russia.

Even if the 27-member bloc could finally agree to approve the mandate, hammering out the details of the agreement may be a much more difficult process, say analysts.

Ratification by the parliament of each of the EU nations could take years, before the new pact finally comes into effect.

The EU has said the new all-encompassing pact to replace an outdated Partnership and Cooperation Agreement should cover various issues including human rights, a condition rejected by Moscow.