India, Belarus sign 10 pacts to expand cooperation

Pic Courtesy: IANS

New Delhi:  India and Belarus on Tuesday inked 10 pacts to expand cooperation in a range of areas and decided to explore joint development and manufacture of military platforms, giving a fresh momentum in bilateral ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, during their extensive talks, also agreed to focus on ramping up economic engagement between the two countries, holding that there was a huge scope for boosting trade and investment.

"We will encourage joint development and manufacturing in defense sector under the 'Make in India' program," Prime Minister Modi said in a media statement.

The prime minister said he and President Lukashenko reviewed the "architecture" of India-Belarus partnership and exchanged ideas to expand it.

The pacts inked provided for enhancing bilateral cooperation in a variety of areas, including oil and gas, education and sports.