New Delhi, Dec. 2: Russia today said it would be ?the sooner the better? for India to sign an agreement on Intellectual Property Rights to govern its supplies of military hardware for India?s armed forces. But Russia and India signed three protocols to take further their military technical cooperation.

India has been concerned about the schedule of supplies that Russian firms have defaulted on. Of particular concern has been the slippage in delivery of spares for the air force. But defence minister Pranab Mukherjee said there was reason to be mollified after a ?comfort letter? from the Russian ministry of finance on supplies contracted by India.

Russian defence minister Ivan Ivanov, who was speaking at a news conference through an interpreter, took a question and intervened to speak in English when asked if a timeframe was fixed for an IPR agreement. ?The sooner the better,? he said before Mukherjee added that a meeting on a draft IPR agreement would be held in January.

Russia has been increasingly wary of Delhi?s intensifying defence relations with western countries. Ivanov had said just before reaching New Delhi that their military ties could not go further unless a draft IPR agreement proposed by Moscow was signed.

Between 65 and 70 per cent of Indian imports of military hardware are Russian (or from former Soviet Union countries) and nearly half of Russian military exports are to India. Russian companies are just as financially dependent on sales to the Indian armed forces as the army, navy and air force here are dependent on them for supplies. The military trade between Russia and India is worth an estimated $33 billion.

?Both sides have decided to enter into an agreement on Intellectual Property Rights for the equipment procured from Russia. It has been decided that within a specific timeframe all the details will be worked out and a final draft will be prepared for signing,? said a defence ministry official.

?We have identified areas of deficiency and underlined the causes for these over the course of the year and have worked out the solutions,? Mukherjee said.

He also announced at the end of the talks of the India-Russia inter-governmental committee on military technical cooperation that Russia had decided to make fresh investments in the project to make and market the Brahmos cruise missile.

Apart from a protocol on IPR, Russia and India also signed two protocols on weapons systems and transfer of technology for T-90 tanks. Mukherjee said India was also considering participation in the Russian project to make a fifth-generation multi-role fighter aircraft.

Defence sources said among the projects discussed during the three-day talks preceding President Vladimir Putin?s arrival tonight were co-development of transport aircraft, Smerch multiple rocket launchers and facilities to overhaul old Russian equipment used by India.