By IRNA,
New Delhi : Syrian President Bashar al-Assad travels next week to India on a maiden visit and the first by a Syrian head of state to the South Asian nation in 20 years.
Assad would discuss with Indian officials “bilateral relations and topics of interest to the two friendly nations.” The visit would take place “next week” and that Syrian first lady Asma Assad would be part of the trip, Indian official media reported here.
During the visit, Syria and India would sign agreements to combat double-taxation and to bolster investments and energy cooperation.
In December 2005, India and China won a joint multi-million-dollar bid to buy Petro-Canada’s 37 per cent stake in Syrian oilfields to feed their oil-hungry economies, prompting US objections.
Over the past years Syria has signed several oil and gas deals with foreign companies and launched tenders or exploration in both sectors in a bid to boost its dwindling energy output.
Assad’s visit to India will be his first since he was propelled into power on the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, in June 2000 and the first by a Syrian president since 1978.
Assad’s visit also comes as inspectors of the UN atomic energy agency are due in Syria on June 22-24 to visit an alleged nuclear facility in a remote desert area.