(a) whether the Central Asian country Kazakhstan has invited the Indian companies to set
up their units in sectors such as Textiles, Medicine and Information Technology in their
country;
(b) if so, details thereof;
(c) whether the Government of Kazakhstan has also expressed its willingness for
cooperation with India in the power sector; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI E. AHAMED)
(a) & (b) Kazakhstan is open to foreign investments in various sectors under its foreign
direct investment (FDI) policies. There is no specific invitation for investments
from India.
During the Sixth India-Kazakhstan Inter-Governmental Commission meeting on Trade,
Economic, Scientific, Technological, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation held in
October 2006 in New Delhi, the two sides expressed interest in joint ventures including
in the areas of textiles, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals.
(c) & (d) In the energy sector, India and Kazakhstan are cooperating in the areas
of oil and gas. M/s ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with the Kazakhstan state-owned oil and gas company Kazmunaigaz and discussions are in
progress.