NEW DELHI (BBC) -- The foreign ministers of India, China and Russia are meeting in the Indian capital, Delhi, to discuss terrorism, drug trafficking and Afghanistan. They are also assessing developments in Iran, Iraq and North Korea.

The relationship between the three countries was first proposed by former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov during a visit to Delhi in 1998.

This is the second such talks between the ministers to focus on a number of international issues.

The foreign ministers of the three countries last met in Vladivostok in Russia in 2005. "As Russia's relations .. with China grew deeper, India-China relations .. normalized

[and] Beijing and New Delhi manifested mounting interest in contacts with Russia in tripartite format on a wide range of matters of mutual interest..," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin was quoted saying by the Itar-Tass news agency ahead of the meeting.

The Indian and Chinese foreign ministers on Tuesday agreed on better air links and visa restrictions. --------------------------- Mature dialogue

Tuesday's meeting was the first contact between Delhi and Beijing since China conducted a satellite-attacking missile test last month.

Officials say that Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his Indian counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee, discussed how to strengthen regional cooperation and set up a mechanism to manage issues related to shared rivers.

President Putin had lengthy talks with India last year.

"The discussions earlier today were extensive and wide-ranging, covering regional, bilateral and global issues," India's ambassador to China, Nirupama Rao, told reporters in Delhi on Tuesday.

"What you see unfolding before you is a very mature dialogue that is taking place between two equal partners," she said.

Mr Li arrived ahead of Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for Wednesday's talks involving the three nations.

The Chinese delegation made a statement on the test during the talks, Ms Rao said.

"They stressed that China was against the weaponization and militarization of outer space and that the test conducted, according to them, was of a purely technological and scientific nature," she said.

The test drew sharp responses from Canberra, Washington, Tokyo and Delhi, with several Indian officials and leaders warning against the militarization of outer space. ------------------------ Border row

Mr Li and his Indian host, Pranab Mukherjee, also discussed the border dispute that led to the 1962 conflict between the two countries, Indian officials said.

Correspondents say that a formal ceasefire line was never established after the war, but the border has remained mostly peaceful after agreements were signed in 1993 and 1996. Russia is looking to sell India 120 MiG-35 fighters

India says that China occupies 38,000 square kms (14,670 square miles) of Indian territory in the disputed region of Kashmir which it says was illegally ceded to China by Pakistan in the 1950s.

China in turn, claims 90,000 square kms in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

During a visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to India in November, the two sides agreed to give priority to a resolution of the border issue.

"The two sides noted with satisfaction the progress on the dialogue between the two special representatives on the boundary question," Ms Rao said. "They reiterated the decision taken by the leaders of the two countries that the special representatives should further intensify their efforts."

Last month, special representatives of both countries -- appointed in 2003 -- held another round of talks in Delhi to resolve the border dispute.