India would be setting up setting up an IT Centre of Excellence at the Eurasian University in Astana, which will be equipped with a super computer. The first batch of trainees from the Eurasian University have begun training in India last month.

India will set up a Central Asia e-network as part of our ‘Connect Central Asia Policy’, which would bring tele-education and tele-medicine to the people of Kazakhstan.

The visiting Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov met the Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid here on Tuesday.

Drescribing the meeting as “fruitful”, Khurshid said : “We expressed satisfaction over the progress in our trade and investment relations. Our trade is reported to have crossed the half billion dollar mark for the first time last year. We also have a number of significant investment projects in the pipeline, in both countries. We agreed to explore possibilities of creating direct trade and energy corridors between our countries. We hope to also have enhanced air connectivity with airlines from Kazakhstan and India soon having up to 14 flights a week to destinations in each of our countries”.

The two leaders reviewed particularly the bilateral relationship which now encompasses a number of strategic sectors including defence, civil nuclear energy and hydrocarbons. They also discussed various regional and international issues of mutual interest.

“We reviewed our growing cooperation in the energy sector. Our company ONGC Videsh Limited has already acquired a 25% stake in the Satpayev Oil Block in the Caspian Sea, based on agreements that were reached when our Prime Minister visited Kazakhstan. We also explored further possibilities of cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector. We requested the support of the Government of Kazakhstan for an important bid that OVL is making for a stake in the Kashagan oil field,” Khurshid said.