Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement at press interaction after bilateral talks with President of Kazakhstan

The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee made the following statement during a press interaction after bilateral talks with the President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, in Almaty today:

~Your excellency President Nursultan Nazarbayev, I am delighted to be in this beautiful city of Almaty. Although this is my first visit to Central Asia as Prime Minister, our two countries have had the tradition of a regular dialogue and interaction at the highest level. In February we were honoured by the President’s visit to our country.

We have had wide-ranging discussions today on the strengthening of the multifaceted relationship between India and Kazakhstan. In recent years, we have been channelizing our historical friendship into political and economic co-operation relevant to the contemporary era.

We shared views on important issues of regional and global concern. Naturally, we discussed the tension in South Asia which cross-border terrorism has created. We have the same perspectives on firmly countering international terrorism. We have agreed today to set up a Joint Working Group for cooperation against terrorism. I am happy that the CICA Summit will also issue a declaration tomorrow condemning international terrorism.

I conveyed to President Nazarbayev India’s warm appreciation of his farsighted initiative for confidence building in Asia through CICA.

We deeply appreciate Kazakhstan’s support for a Permanent Seat for India in the UN Security Council. We also appreciate the full understanding expressed by Kazakhstan of our perspectives on tensions caused by terrorism.

We agreed on the enormous potential for intensification of our economic co-operation. India is prepared to make a major investment in the oil and gas sector in Kazakhstan, as we did last year in the Sakhalin oil field of Russia. We have agreed to promote joint ventures in Information Technology. India will extend full support to the establishment of a Software Technology Park in Kazakhstan. We have also agreed to upgrade our co-operation in the pharmaceuticals sector and in small-scale industries. Our agreement to promote tourism will enrich bilateral relations through closer people to people exchanges. Our military technical co-operation should expand beyond a buyer-seller relationship into transfer of technology, research and development.

The presence of the Ispat group in Kazakhstan is a good beginning for greater Indian economic presence in this country. We are happy that more and more Indian companies are setting up representative offices in Kazakhstan. The large business delegation accompanying me on this visit reflects the growing interest in forging closer links between the business communities of the two countries.

The several hundred Indian students in Kazakhstan endeavour to build a long-term relationship of friendship and trust with Kazakhstan, encompassing co-operation in several spheres, for the benefit of our peoples and for peace and prosperity in our region.

Thank you.~