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A delegation lead by Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas visited Kazakhstan for 5th Session of the Inter-Governmental Indo-Kazakh Joint Commission on trade-economic, scientific-technological, industrial and cultural cooperation at Astana on 17-18 February, 2005.
Both India-Kazakh sides discussed bilateral issues of mutual interest covering large areas of cooperation. In the hydrocarbon sector, it was agreed that cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector needed to be developed in an integrated manner involving Indian investments in the Kazakh hydrocarbon sector to include not just E&P activities but the development of various components of the entire value chain as well as infrastructure development such as evacuation networks to the relevant markets. Both sides agreed to set up a Joint Working Group on Hydrocarbons under the aegis of the Joint Commission to examine and develop various prospects for cooperation in specific projects.
On this occasion, ONGC Videsh Ltd. and KazMunayGas, an Upstream NOC of Kazakhstan signed an MOU to concretize development of specific E&P projects in Kazakhstan. Identification of projects and follow up action on negotiating commercial/ technical terms is expected to be completed in about 1 year’s time.
Both sides noted recent development with regard to the proposals for the development of Iran-India and the Myanmar-India pipelines. The sides also noted to examine possibilities of extending the proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline to Kazakhstan and India. The Kazakh side also expressed interest in the emerging possibilities of evacuating oil and gas from Kazakhstan to the Arabian Sea and agreed to jointly examine the possibilities of
(a) the development of necessary evacuation facilities for oil and gas within Kazakhstan as well as across the border into third countries. These would include examination of the possibilities of connecting oil and gas from Kazakhstan to what could eventually be an Asian pipeline grid.
(b) setting up Joint ventures for gas processing in Kazakhstan
(c) setting up Joint ventures for petrochemicals and other oil and gas based industries.
One proposal which has very exciting prospects for both the countries, indeed for the entire region of Central and South Asia related to the North- South Transport Corridor from Aktau on the Caspian Sea through Iran to the Arabian Sea. The Kazkhstan appreciated the help given by India in its accession to the International North South Transport Corridor transport Agreement, signed originally by Russia, India and Iran.
Kazakhstan informed India about possible export import and transit routes between Kazakhstan and India with possible use of Altynsarin-Khromtau railroad area. Possible routes for the transit transportation cargo from/ to India via Kazakhstan, offered:
1. via port Aktau – Iranian ports;
2. via railroad station Sary-Agash-Sarakhs station (Islamic Republic of Iran)
The Indian side informed Kazakhstan of the empty container problem in transportation from Kazakhstan back to India. Resolving this problem depends on trade volume between India and Kazakhstan. Thereupon the Indian side offered a joint task force to work on increasing freight flows from/ to India through Aktau port in the framework of the International North South Transport Corridor transport Agreement.
Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister (P&NG) in his opening speech stressed on the possibility of developing the North-South transport corridor as an Energy Corridor as well. The Minister put up the idea before the Kazakh side to link Kazakhstan oil and gas pipelines to bring Energy resources to India and South – East Asia. This could bring Asia with Europe in a substantial mutually beneficial connection through Aktau moving energy resources and commercial products across South-East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and thence to North Asia and Northern and Western Europe.
Apart from cooperation in hydrocarbon sector, with a view to further develop mutually advantageous cooperation, the Parties agreed to create Working Group on defence-technical cooperation under Kazakhstan-Indian Joint Commission on trade and economic, scientific and technical, industrial and cultural cooperation.
In area of Science & Technology, both sides not only agreed to accelerate the pace but also considered to intensify the S&T cooperation activities based on a fresh Program of Cooperation (POC) in Science & Technology for the period 2005-07.
The 5th Session of the India-Kazakhstan Joint Commission was held in most cordial and business like manner and several areas of cooperation were agreed between both the sides, which is to be carried forward and fructified.
Besides Minister (P&NG), the delegation included Shri Talmiz Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Shri Sunjoy Joshi, Joint Secretary, P&NG, Shri R. S. Butola, MD, OVL, Shri V. S. Negi, Director, GAIL, Shri Ranjan Dhawan, GM, Punjab National Bank, Shri Venugopal, Director, Department of Information & Technology, Shri P. K. Mahapatra, Director, Department of Commerce (Ministry of Commerce & Industry), Shri A. K. Kalra, Advisor, Department of Science & Technology and a representative of EXIM Bank of India.
RCJ/Indo-KazakhJCPC190205
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