Kalam hosts banquet for Tajik President

New Delhi, Aug 7 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today said India could help Tajikistan in the fields of hydro-power and information technology.

Speaking at a banquet he hosted in honour of visiting Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov, Dr Kalam pointed out that India had developed vast expertise in the installation, generation, transmission and distribution of hydro-power.

''This is the area which ofers great potential for close cooperation between our two countries. Since your country has a vast potential of hydro-power, it can be made good use of for a fuller development of the energy sector,'' the President said.

Recalling the ''modest, but significant'' role of New Delhi in building Tajik capacity in information technology, he said the IT Centre established with Indian assistance at Dushanbe would be a symbol of the constructive relationship between the two countries.

The youth of the two countries who were the most precious asset could given ''challenging opportunities'' through a suitable framework of governance and enough elbow room for the talent to bloom, he suggested.

Declaring India's resolve to defeat terrorism, Dr Kalam thanked Tajikistan for condemning the recent terror strikes in Mumbai and Srinagar.

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