India, Kazakhstan sign pacts

• The two countries moved a step towards more intensive collaboration in nuclear energy with the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy but this is subject to both sides "adhering to their existing obligations under multilateral nuclear regimes."
• They also inked a memorandum in the area of information security and India agreed to set up an Indian-Kazakhstan Centre of Excellence in the Eurasian University in Astana.
• The Prime Minister highlighted the pacts on nuclear energy, mutual legal assistance, agriculture, cyber security and healthcare and hoped that diversification would take place in pharmaceuticals, IT, mining, fertilizers and science & technology to broad base bilateral ties.
• This biggest and economically most virile Central Asian country has always appreciated Indian culture and Bollywood movies ranging from Raj Kapoor-Dilip Kumar starrers to ones featuring new age actors such as Neha Dhupia and Aishwaria Rai.
• The summit meeting follows a two-day Pakistan-Kazakhstan Joint Ministerial Commission in Islamabad which basically focussed on strengthening trade and investment ties.