Kazakhstan signs civil nuclear deal with India

May 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - More than eight months after the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) granted waiver to New Delhi allowing the resumption of global nuclear commerce, India Monday held talks with an NSG troika comprising Germany, South Africa and Hungary. The Indian delegation, led by Vivek Katju, special secretary (Political and International Organizations), in the external affairs ministry, held talks with the NSG team led by representative of its current chair, Viktor Elbling of Germany.

May 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Communist Party of India (CPI) Sunday ruled out post-poll alliance with the Congress saying the party had 'betrayed' the nation by signing the civil nuclear deal with the US. 'We do feel that the India-US civil nuclear deal is a betrayal of the Congress,' said Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, deputy general secretary of the CPI.

April 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a candid admission, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday that the 'toughest decision' of his tenure was the inking of the India-US civil nuclear deal and that he was ready to resign if it did not go through. 'I was quite clear that if the nuclear deal had not gone through, I would have resigned.

March 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - India and the US should build on the goodwill created by their landmark civil nuclear deal to strengthen bilateral ties as also the global non-proliferation system, a senior US diplomat has suggested. 'Both the United States and India have the responsibility to help to craft a strengthened NPT (non-proliferation treaty) regime to foster safe, affordable nuclear power to help the globe's energy and environment needs, while assuring against the spread of nuclear weapons,' US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said Monday.

March 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India and Kazakhstan will sign an exploration and production agreement for the the Satpayev oil block on the Caspian Sea before the new domestic Kazakh law on reviewing contracts of foreign companies comes into force, it was announced here Friday. This was decided at the seventh meeting of the two-day India-Kazakhstan Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) on trade, economic, scientific, technological, industrial and cultural cooperation that ended in Astana Friday, a government release said.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The landmark India-US civil nuclear deal is on track with both sides determined to go forward with an initiative that has raised their relationship to a new level. 'I was really reassured by the determination to go through it,' Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said at a press conference here Wednesday after three days of an intense dialogue with the new Obama administration.

March 4th, 2009 VIENNA - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Tuesday approved additional nuclear inspection measures for India, which the country has to ratify before it can receive imports for its growing nuclear energy sector. Diplomats said in Vienna that although the 35-country IAEA governing board had approved the additional measures, they fell short of Additional Protocols that are in place for other countries.

February 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A month after India entered into a nuclear pact with Russia, leading Russian nuclear company TVEL Wednesday signed a deal to supply uranium to Indian nuclear plants. Russia's state-owned nuclear company Atomenergoprom said that its unit, TVEL, and Indian officials had signed the latest deal under which 'the total cost of contracts is more than $700 million'.

February 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - India will sign a unique safeguards agreement with the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later Monday - a key step that will enable the resumption of global civil nuclear commerce with New Delhi. India's Ambassador to Vienna Saurabh Kumar and IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei will ink the India-specific safeguards agreement in Vienna later in the day.

February 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI/VIENNA - India Monday inked an inspection agreement with the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - a step that will enable India to access global civil nuclear equipment and fuel. India's Ambassador to Vienna Saurabh Kumar and IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei inked the India-specific safeguards agreement at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

January 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Devisinh Patil Saturday described Kazakhstan as India's 'valuable partner' in its fight against terrorism, while thanking the Central Asian nation for its strong condemnation of the Mumbai mayhem. 'We regard Kazakhstan as a valuable partner in this fight against terrorism,' Patil said in her speech at a banquet in honour of Kazakhstan President Noorsultan Nazarbayev, who will attend the Republic Day Parade here Jan 26 as the chief guest.

January 23rd, 2009 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.

January 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee stepped in for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to receive the Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev at a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan Saturday morning. Manmohan Singh was undergoing a bypass surgery in a Delhi hospital and will take a few weeks to recover.

January 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev arrived here Friday night on a four-day visit during which India and the energy-rich Central Asian country are expected to sign a civil nuclear agreement and a slew of economic pacts. The Kazakh president will be India's guest of honour at the Republic Day parade.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India and Kazakhstan are set to invigorate their ties when they sign a nuclear pact and other economic agreements during the four-day visit of the energy-rich Central Asian country's President Nursultan Nazarbayev that begins Jan 23. 'The visit will further consolidate and provide fresh impetus to the bilateral relations,' the external affairs ministry said here Wednesday while announcing his visit.