India, Afghanistan sign three pacts

New Delhi, Oct 5: Further cementing bilateral ties, India and Afghanisthan signed three pacts including an agreement on strategic partnership for enhancing cooperation in diverse fields like security, capacity building and trade.

The Strategic Partnership agreement signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai seeks to create an institutional framework for cooperation in fields of security, trade, education, culture and capacity building.

The pact also seeks to enhance people-to-people relations between the two countries. The MoU signed between Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Afghan Ministry of Mines on cooperation in the field of development of hydrocarbons will facilitate establishment of a cooperative institutional framework to facilitate and enhance, bilateral cooperation in hydrocarbon sector, including oil and gas.

It envisages cooperation in areas of exploration, production, infrastructure, research and training and promotion of private and public sector investment in development of hydrocarbons including oil and natural gas.

The MoU signed between the Indian and Afghan Ministry of Mines on cooperation in the field of mineral resources development aims at promotion of private and public sector investment in mining and mining-related activities as well as mineral exploration and exploitation and capacity building in the field of geosciences and mining in Afghanistan.

PTI