Kazakhstan favours civilian Nuke coop with India

New Delhi, May 12: Kazakhstan, a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), is in favour of discussing civilian nuclear cooperation with India but is non-committal about its support to the Indo-US Civilian nuclear agreement in the 45-nation nuclear lobby.

The two countries are also negotiating an Extradition Treaty and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) for cooperation against terrorism.

Mr Serik Abdrakhmanov, Chairman of the Committee for International Affairs, Defence and Security, of the Kazakhstan Parliament, told UNI that Kazakhstan which is the second biggest country in the world with uranium reserves, was looking for cooperation with India in diverse fields.

''We can discuss these issues. We may cooperate in this field also,'' he said when asked whether Kazakhstan would consider civilian nuclear cooperation with India.

Mr Abdrakhmanov, who is currently in India leading a five-member delegation of senior Kazakh Parliamentarians on a four-day visit, when asked whether Kazakhstan would support the Indo-US Nuclear Deal in the NSG, was non-committal and said Kazakhstan had never been against any such cooperation as long as it served the people.

''As long as it serves the people, Kazakhstan has never been against any such cooperation,'' he said.

On cooperation in energy sector, he said soon Kazakhstan would be producing 150 million tonnes of oil per year. It has oil and gas reserves for the next 60-80 years.

It also has world's one third reserves of chromium.

On the issue of fight against terrorism, Mr Abdrakhmanov said the two countries were working in cooperation in the fight against terrorism and are negotiating an Extradition Treaty and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.

A Joint Working Group (JWG) already exists between the two countries for fighting terrorism.

The two countries also have an arrangement under the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) with the aim of ensuring security and stability in the Asian continent and both countries could work under the CICA framework.

''Terrorism and terrorist groups don't recognise any borders.

They use the latest technology and are equipped with modern hardware. India has great skill in combating terrorism and if both countries work together, it will be very, very effective,'' he said.

The Central Asian country which is the fastest growing economy in the region and one of the fastest in the world, is also keen to strengthen relations with India in diverse fields including IT, High-Tech, Science and Technology, Pharmaceuticals and trade and economy. It wants India's help in its entry to the WTO and hopes that New Delhi would extend support.

An India-Kazakhstan Friendship Group is expected to be formed in the Indian Parliament and the matter will be discussed during the visit.

A senior official of the Kazakhstan embassy here said that in recent years, cooperation between the two countries had been witnessing ''rapid upsurge'' in relations and they were ''rediscovering'' each other.

For instance, two-way trade in 2006 increased by 74 per cent and reached 210 million US Dollars.

India's trade with Kazakhstan accounts for over half of its trade with the whole Central Asia, making Kazakhstan India's largest trade partner in Central Asia.

To give additional dimension to the increasing relations and preserve the momentum, the officials of the two countries are facilitating the establishment of strong links between Parliaments of the two countries.

Mr. Abdrakhmanov, met some Indian MPs and both sides reaffirmed determination to enhance the existing ties.

''There is an Indian Caucus in the Mazhilis advocating for stronger ties with New Delhi keeping in view the great affection that the Kazakh people have for India. A similar Kazakhstan Friendship Group is expected to be formed in Parliament of India for the same purpose. It is expected that this issue among others will receive further discussion during the present visit,'' the official said.

Kazakhstan supports Indian candidacy for the UN Security Council for permanent membership.

MPs from both countries are likely to visit Afghanistan to get up-to-date information on the ground situation in the country.

The visit will facilitate greater coordination between the legislative and executive branches of Kazakh government to render smooth assistance to Afghanistan.

The two countries, however, feel that unless the security situation stabilised in Afghanistan, it was difficult to talk of rapid expansion of regional trade links connecting Central Asia with South Asia, including Kazakhstan and India.

The delegation also met Defence Minister A K Antony. Mr Abdrakhmanov said the two countries also exchanged ''information and skills' in mountain warfare. Welcoming the India-Pakistan peace process, he said from outside one could see India and Pakistan moving in the right direction. The Confidence-Building Measures and negotiations were ''very positive'' and would help make relations between them better. Kazakhstan would encourage and strongly support this.

''Worst negotiations are better than a beautiful war,'' he added.

He reiterated Kazakhstan's support for India's bid for permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Mr Abdrakhmanov said Kazakhstan's GDP is growing at the rate of ten per cent per year and its territory is almost the same as that of India but population is very low15 to 16 million. It is India's largest trade partner in Central Asia.

''We want to be closer to India'' he said, asserting that cooperation between the two countries, even though not sharing a border, would be beneficial for both.

UNI