PM Modi's visit to Central Asia: India and Kazakhstan ink deals on uranium supply, defence

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN: Eyeing to expand bilateral strategic partnership as well as expand its presence in Central Asia — part of Delhi’s extended neighbourhood — India and Kazakhstan on Wednesday inked a deal for a renewed long-term supply of natural uranium, and a wide-ranging defence cooperation pact besides a railway cooperation agreement to boost connectivity to realise full economic potential.

Kazakhstan, a leading uranium producer globally, will supply 5,000 tonnes of uranium to India during 2015-19, its President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced following his talks with Narendra Modi who was here on his second leg of the visit to Central Asia.

Kazakhstan will emerge as the biggest source of uranium for India besides Canada and Australia. This is the second such agreement between Astana and Delhi since 2009. Kazakhstan’s uranium firm KazAtomProm supplied 600 MT of uranium ore concentrate in 2010-11, 350 MT in 2011-12, 402.5 MT in 2012-13 and 460 MT in 2013-14. The five-year contract to supply uranium ended last year.

“Kazaksthan was one of the first countries with which we launched civil nuclear cooperation through a uranium purchase contract. We are pleased to have a much larger second contract now,” Modi said in his joint presser with Kazakh President indicating that nuclear cooperation is a key pillar of partnership.

Upgrading the MoU on defence ties, the agreement on defence and military-technical cooperation would further widen the scope of bilateral defence cooperation including regular exchange of visits, consultations, training of military personnel, militarytechnical cooperation, joint exercises, special forces exchanges and cooperation in the area of UN peacekeeping operations, according to the joint statement issued following Modi-Nazarbayev dialogue at the picturesque Akorda Palace here.

“Our defence and security cooperation is an important dimension of our strategic partnership. We both want to make it stronger, including in defence manufacturing,” Modi elaborated on the defence pact.

Modi and Nazarbayev also agreed to enhance intelligence cooperation to fight terror in the immediate region, including Afghanistan, where both have critical stakes. The two sides also signed an agreement on transfer of sentenced persons aiming to expand security relations.

The two countries unveiled a road map for expanding economic partnership and bilateral investments. This road map would identify concrete projects in various sectors and assist in efficient implementation of projects.