Onboard Special Aircraft to Kazakhstan, May 11 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna on Tuesday described Kazakhstan as India’s most important partner in Central Asia with whom it maintains strategic relations.

Speaking to media persons enroute to Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, on his maiden three-day visit to the oil-rich country, Krishna said: “Kazakhstan is most important partner in Central Asia and we have strategic partnership with Kazak.”

Krishna’s visit to Kazakhstan is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and increasing cooperation between the two countries on various issues including the civil nuclear cooperation.

Mentioning about the significance of his visit, Krishna said: “We have number of new initiatives, which are in pipeline like energy, fertilizer, (IT) Information Technology, agriculture, and most importantly, culture.”

The visit is also aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

Stating that a business delegation led by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) is also accompanying him, Krishna said: “This business delegation is an important step forward in consolidating our economic ties,” Krishna said. e also stated that an agreement on culture could possibly be signed during his present visit.

Krishna is scheduled to meet his Kazakhstan counterpart Kanat Saudabayev on Wednesday.

The two leaders will hold bilateral talks on economy, energy and security ties.

Krishna said that the talks with his counterpart would include inter-governmental agreement on peaceful civil nuclear cooperation and enhancing cooperation in agriculture, civil construction, mining, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals among other issues.

During his visit, Krishna will hold delegation-level talks with Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev. He will also call on the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Masimov and President Nazabayev.

Krishna and his Kazakh counterpart will review progress in bilateral relations, especially since the January 2009 visit of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, besides discussing regional and international issues of mutual interest.

He will also address the India-Kazakhstan Business Forum.

The visit will include a review of bilateral ties between the two countries, and an assessment of ways to take sectoral cooperation forward.

More importantly, the visit would highlight and focus on two important sectors of cooperation – hydrocarbon and energy, including civil nuclear energy.

Both the countries would actively be discussing modalities to take cooperation forward in these sectors and in other sectors.

Ahead of the Krishna’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vishnu Prakash in New Delhi, said: “We are both multi-ethnic and multicultural societies. India and Kazakhstan also have a strategic partnership, which was unveiled during the visit of President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, when he had come to India in January 2009. He was also the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Celebrations then. Both countries have an ambitious and forward looking agenda of cooperation,” he said.

A delegation of business leaders representing leading organizations and business houses like Tata International Limited, Sun Group, Apollo Hospitals, Punj Lloyd, Tata Motors, BHEL, ONGC, etc. are also accompanying the minister.