Thursday, January 14, 2010

DTN News: India, Germany To Ink Pacts On Technology, Defence Training

DTN News: India, Germany To Ink Pacts On Technology, Defence Training *Source: DTN News / Earth Times (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - January 15, 2010: India and Germany are likely to sign cooperation agreements in the areas of technology and defence training, news reports said Thursday. The agreements were scheduled to be signed during German President Horst Koehler's visit to India in February, Thomas Matussek, Germany's ambassador to the South Asian country, was quoted as saying by the IANS news agency. Koehler was scheduled to visit New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune on his six-day trip beginning February 1. "We will sign an agreement on economy-technology cooperation worth 350 million euros [508 million dollars] and one to fight terrorism," Matussek said, adding that Germany had offered to train Indian commandos in fighting terrorists. "Two or three more agreements are in the pipeline," the ambassador said. He said Germany would cooperate with India in the fields of nuclear safety and civilian nuclear cooperation: "The details are still being worked out. India has an impeccable non-proliferation record, and so we agreed to its civil nuclear deal with the US." Matussek said that in regards to trade in defence equipment, Germany was ready to offer aircraft and submarines to India. He said his country could offer full technology for the multi-role fighter jet Typhoon and even start manufacturing the aircraft in India without insisting on an end-user agreement.

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