International conference on Kazakh-Indian cooperation held in Almaty

ALMATY. January 19. KAZINFORM. /Dauren Zhailin/ An international conference ?Kazakhstan – India: perspectives of cooperation? has been held today in Almaty in Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The scientific forum is held prior to the official visit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to India that will take place on January 23-26, 2009, Kazinform reports.

The organizers of the conference are Kazakh Institute for Strategic Studies, Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan and the Fund of the First President of Kazakhstan. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Kazakhstan Ashok Sajjanhar, representatives of state bodies of India, leading experts of scientific institutes and independent analytical centers of both countries took part in the forum. As the participants of the conference noted, India is one of the leading regional countries interested in the development of friendly contacts and mutually beneficial economic cooperation with Central Asian countries. Indian economy needs additional sources of energy, in this regard the country is interested in the development of transport-energy corridors in the North-South. Kazakhstan, in its turn, intends to promote its regional economic projects and the issues of security. ?Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited India in February, 1992. He chose India as the first country for his first official visit after Kazakhstan became independent. His previous visit took place seven years ago ? in February, 2002. And I would like to note that the coming visit of N.Nazarbayev to our country will be different from the previous ones?, A.Sajjanhar noted.