India and Kazakhstan are poised to consolidate on their strategic partnership as they are expected to sign an inter-governmental framework agreement on civil nuclear cooperation and some other pacts when the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, undertakes a visit there tomorrow.
Dr Singh, who will travel to Astana from here as part of his two-nation tour, will also discuss with Kazakh President, Mr Nursultan Nazarbaev, ways to enhance two-way trade and forge closer physical connectivity.
The inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy will be among at least six pacts that the two countries are expected to sign during Dr Singh’s two-day visit as part of an endeavour to consolidate on the strategic partnership put in place in 2009.
India and Kazakhstan already have civil nuclear cooperation since January 2009 when Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Kazakh nuclear company KazAtomProm signed an MoU during the visit of Mr Nazarbaev to Delhi.
Under the contract, KazAtomProm supplies uranium, which is used by Indian reactors.
The inter-governmental agreement will broad-base the cooperation and is expected to cover aspects such s research, technology transfer and exploration of uranium in Kazakhstan, which is known to have one of the richest reserves of the nuclear fuel that India needs in increasing quantity, sources said.
Construction of small and medium capacity nuclear plants could also form part of the agreement for which negotiations have been going on for nearly two years.