The Canadian-Indian Nuclear Alliance

India, Canada discuss civil-nuclear cooperation

BY: PTI | NEW DELHI |

Published On:September 8, 2016 5:48 Pm

India and Canada have discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including the civil-nuclear cooperation between the two countries. The discussion was held during a meeting between Union Minister Jitendra Singh and visiting Canada Minister for Natural Resources, James Gordon Carr, here on Wednesday.

The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including civil-nuclear cooperation between the two countries, an official release issued said today. As a country with large energy requirements, India looks forward to promoting nuclear energy production at a significant scale and the two nations can jointly work to achieve this, said Singh, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office.

He referred to a common technological base of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) in which India and Canada are global leaders and it is an area offering opportunity of potential bilateral cooperation between the two countries. While recalling the traditional friendly relations between the two countries, Singh said the most distinctive feature of Indo-Canadian relations was that these had been consistently compatible, without even a single intervening phase of bitterness or unpleasantness.

“This has helped the two countries to achieve positive collaboration in various sectors, including in the area of nuclear energy which is a success story,” he said. Singh referred to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Canada in April 2015 during which a long term uranium procurement contract was signed by Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India with the Canadian Uranium producer CAMECO.

Thereafter, the first consignment of Canadian uranium reached India in December 2015 and the second consignment is expected by November this year, he said. Singh expressed satisfaction over the Canadian delegation planning a visit to Mumbai where it will get an opportunity to interact with the scientists at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Department of Atomic Energy, the release said.

Carr said that he looks forward to greater growth in Indo-Canadian cooperation during the years ahead. He also extended invitation to Singh to visit Canada at a time of his convenience.