The two sides also decided to bolster their defence cooperation and take it "beyond a buyer-seller" relationship, Singh said at a joint press conference with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

During the talks, Sarkozy, who arrived in Delhi on Friday on a two-day visit, reaffirmed France's support to India's bid for a permanent seat in the expanded UN Security Council. Singh, who held extensive talks with Sarkozy on his maiden visit to India, said the two sides have agreed to strengthen cooperation to fight terrorism.

Describing his discussions with Sarkozy as "very productive and wide-ranging", Singh said both the sides "reaffirmed our strong mutual desire to further strengthen our strategic partnership."

"This partnership is long standing and rests on shared values and similar approaches to regional and global issues." Singh said.

Singh said both sides agreed to further consolidate the multi-faceted cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, technology transfer, space, defence, culture and education.

"The initiatives that we have take reflect our mutual strength and growing potential of our two countries to contribute to each others' development and national priorities," he said.

Contrary to media speculation, Sarkozy landed in Delhi without his girlfriend and former supermodel Carla Bruni. There was suspense on both sides on whether 40-year-old Bruni will accompany 52-year-old Sarkozy on his brief visit to Taj Mahal.

Singh said the two sides have agreed to intensify business-to-business contacts and establish an Indian Cultural Centre in Paris.

He said Sarkozy indicated to him during the talks his intention to facilitate travel of large number of Indian students to France for higher studies.

In the area of defence cooperation, "we have agreed to go beyond a buyer-seller relationship. We will increasingly focus on joint research and development projects, transfer of technology and greater military exchanges," Singh said.