Breaking new grounds in their bilateral relationship, India and Canada on Sunday signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the first Indian Head of the Government to visit Canada after I K Gujral's trip here 16 years ago, and his counterpart Stephen Harper hailed the signature of the nuclear agreement after their one-on-one and delegation level talks that will provide for cooperation in civil nuclear energy including import of uranium and equipment from Canada. The civil nuclear agreement was signed by Srikumar Banerjee, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy and Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon in the presence of the two Prime Ministers.
The deal also envisages cooperation in fields of nuclear waste management and radiation safety.
The agreement assumes significance in the context of Canada's strong attitude in the past when it slaped sanctions against India after the Pokhran I and II tests in 1974 and 1998.
A joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said the two Prime Ministers committed themselves to the ratification of the agreement and completion of all remaining steps necessary to ensure its early implementation. They underscored the potential for mutually beneficial civil nuclear cooperation and trade.
Singh said he was convinced that a strong India-Canada partnership will facilitate solutions to global challenges such as energy and food security, sustainable development, climate change and the fight against extremism and poverty. "Towards this end, we have agreed to promote and maintain a high level dialogue between India and Canada, he said.
Two leaders committed to expanding a range of activities and institutional frameworks that will contribute to the shared goal of increasing bilateral trade to USD 15 billion in next five years.
They welcomed the conclusion of negotiations of social security agreement and looked forward to its early signing followed by ratification and implementation. Later speaking at a banquet hosted in honour by Harper, Singh said "India and Canada shared much in common . "We are separated by distance but we are united in our values. We both cherish our freedom, our democratic way of life, our pluralism and our spirit of tolerance."
Recalling late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visit to Canada 37 years ago, he referred to her statement that “Greatest achievement of Canadian people was not the high economic standards they had attained but the fact that it is regarded as a nation of friends that had shown interest in expanding business ties with India."
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