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India, Denmark sign 3 pacts

NEW DELHI: India and Denmark have signed three agreements during Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen ongoing visit here but there has been no breakthrough on the question of resuming aid which had been gradually curtailed after the Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998.

Diplomatic sources said Denmark, whose development assistance per capital is among the highest in the world, on a change in government, wanted to resume assistance to India.

However, New Delhi was lukewarm to Copenhagen’s suggestion of tying the aid to promoting human rights and democracy awareness. As a result complete cessation of aid was preponed by a year to 2007.

India has indicated that it would prefer to receive direct aid from countries and groupings like the European Union, Germany, Japan, Great Britain and Russia.

The two sides settled for an agreement for the establishment of a bilateral Joint Commission for Cooperation. It will aim at deepening and strengthening ties between the two countries in “all fields of mutual interest” including the political, economic, commercial, scientific, technological, research, energy, environmental, consular, education and cultural fields.

A memorandum of understanding in new and renewable energy, an area where Denmark has considerable expertise, seeks to establish cooperation with the aim of developing new and renewable energy technologies.

It also seeks to establish a joint committee to identify areas of cooperation for the development of new and renewable energy technologies, systems and monitoring and evaluating cooperation activities.

An arrangement on gainful employment for family members of the diplomatic mission or consular post would allow the members of a diplomat’s family to work in the receiving State on reciprocal basis.

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