Reaffirming close India-Russia strategic ties, Russian envoy to India Nikolay Kudashev has said Moscow's ties with New Delhi is "second to none".

Speaking to WION, Kudashev said, "Our relationship with India is second to none. This is a relationship which is a privileged strategic partnership."

"We supply topmost technology and weapons, committed to Indian industries like nuclear," he added.

The comments come before the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov's India visit next week. Indian PM Modi will travel to Russia in May and a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin can be expected towards the end of the year.

On Kashmir, he reiterated the Russian government's government's stand saying, "Kashmir is an internal matter of India, it belongs to the constitutional space of India. We always consider the internal affairs of your country."

Asked about the recent envoy's visit to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Kudashev said, he did not get an "official invitation" from the Indian government to be part of the group which paid a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir this week. Speaking on the matter, he said, "As far as India inviting other envoys are concerned, it is a sovereign matter of India. I do not feel obliged to comment on the matter." "No doubt as far as geopolitics in Kashmir is concerned, if somebody has some doubts or issues, let them travel, it is my personal comment," he added.

Russia is also going to train Indian astronauts for the Gaganyaan programme--the first Indian manned mission to space. On the programme, the envoy said, "space is established entity of our cooperation and we have been willing to contribute...based on our common conviction of peacefull and open Outerspace".