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India, Afghanistan sign three MoUs

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, April 10, IRNA
India-Afghanistan-President
India and Afghanistan signed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in the field of education, rural development and standardization in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai here on Monday.

The MoU on cooperation in the field of education was signed between Arjun Singh, India's minister of human resource development, and Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan's foreign minister.

The MoU will encourage development of contacts and cooperation between educational institutions of the two countries relative to their academic and educational needs.

A joint working group will be constituted to implement the MoU.

Another MoU on the field of rural development was signed by Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, India's minister of rural development, and Mohammad Hanif Atmar, Afghanistan's minister of rural rehabilitation and development.

The MoU will encourage, develop and strengthen technical cooperation between the two countries in the field of rural development.

Both countries have agreed to implement the MoU through Biennial Work Plans that will be developed jointly.

Another MoU on cooperation in the field of standardization was also signed between Svayam Prakash Sharma, director-general of the Bureau of Indian Standards and Abdul Hai Khurasani, charge d'affaires of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi.

Under the MoU, India and Afghanistan are to cooperate in the field of standardization by enhancing and strengthening technical cooperation in the fields of standardization, certification, testing, measurement and quality assurance systems.

To implement the MoU, India and Afghanistan will jointly develop an Annual Action Plan.

President Karzai of Afghanistan arrived here for a four-day state visit Sunday afternoon.

He had earlier visited India in February 2002 as chairman of the Afghan Interim Administration, in March 2003 as president of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan and in February 2005 as president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

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