By IANS,
New Delhi : India and Kazakhstan Saturday signed five agreements, including one on civil nuclear energy.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who arrived Friday night on a four-day visit ahead of the Republic Day parade Monday where he will be the chief guest, signed the agreements with the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of President Pratibha Patil.
Apart from the deal on nuclear energy cooperation signed between the Nuclear Power Corp of India (NCPI) and Kazakh nuclear major National Co KazAtomProm, the two countries signed on the dotted line on an extradition treaty, a pact on cooperation in space activities, a protocol in the accession of Kazakhstan to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and a deal between oil majors ONGC Mittal Energy (OMEL) and Kazakhstan’s National Co KazmunaiG (KMG).
Mukherjee represented India on account of Prime Miister Manmohan Singh’s illness. The venue of the talks were also shifted from Hyderabad House to Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Manmohan Singh has undergone a bypass surgery in a Delhi hospital and will take a few weeks to recover. Mukherjee, who is officiating in his place, has also taken on the prime minister’s protocol duties.