Manmohan says Indo-French nuke agreement adds new dimension to ties

Paris, Sep 30 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the civil nuclear cooperation agreement between India and France added a new dimension to their strategic partnership.

"Today we have added a new dimension to our strategic partnership by signing an inter-governmental agreement on civil nuclear cooperation," Singh said in a statement after his talks with French President Nicholas Sarkozy during which the landmark nuclear agreement was inked.

France, the Prime Minister said, is the first country with which India has entered into such an agreement after the lifting of international restrictions on civil nuclear cooperation with New Delhi by the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

"I conveyed to President Sarkozy our gratitude for France's consistent support to our civil nuclear initiative," he said.

A joint statement issued after their talks said the two countries welcomed the agreement adjusting the international civil nuclear cooperation framework to enable collaborations with India.

ANI