STATE TIMES NEWS
WINDHOEK: At the bilateral high- level official talks held between India and Namibia here, President Pranab Mukherjee put forward a strong case for uranium collaboration between the two countries.
The Indian side was led by President Pranab Mukherjee, who was assisted by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, senior Members of Parliament and senior officers of Ministry of External Affairs, while the Namibian side was led by President Dr Hage Geingob, Deputy Prime Minister Nandi-Ndaitwah Netumbo and senior ministers of cabinet. President Pranab Mukherjee made a forceful plea to Namibian President for mining / procurement of uranium and said, a specific time-frame is desirable to accomplish this process. He said, by 2030, India is committed to meet 40 per cent of its energy requirements from non-fuel sources and this initiative is meant to achieve the same objective. Singh informed that the issue of Uranium procurement was taken up with the Namibian delegates when they visited New Delhi for the Indo-Africa Summit last October. He requested for expediting the process. Singh also pointed out that in the years to come, nuclear power is not only going to be a major source to meet our increasing energy requirements, but will also be a cost-effective source of energy.
To that extent, he added that it is equally in the interest of both the countries to go ahead with this arrangement. President Pranab Mukherjee reiterated the government’s resolve to help Namibia in its economic growth and capacity building. He recalled that more than 1000 Namibian candidates have already received training from India in the field of Information Technology.
Earlier, the Namibian President Dr Hage Geingob assured the Indian President of Namibia’s support to India for membership in the United Nation’s Security Council. He also assured mutual commitment to strengthen bilateral ties and promote South-South regional cooperation.
