Kazakhstan Ambassador Bulat Sarsenbayev | Photo Credit: Times Now

India's atomic programme will receive a major push from its strategic partner Kazakhstan which has assured an increased supply of uranium to India in the next five years, according to Kazakhstan Ambassador Bulat Sarsenbayev. He asserted that a new contract is currently being negotiated between the two countries and Kazakhstan is aiming to significantly improve on its previous contract which saw the Central Asian country provide 5,000 tons of uranium to India.

While speaking to Srinjoy Chowdhury, National Affairs Editor of Times Now, Bulat Sarsenbayev was upbeat on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's successive win in the Lok Sabha and hoped for greater cooperation between India and Kazakhstan under PM Modi's leadership. He stressed that Kazakhstan intends to strengthen the economic cooperation between the two countries in the next five years.

Sarsenbayev revealed that a new agreement is currently being finalised in which Kazakhstan will increase its supply of uranium to India. However, he refused to give out details of the contract further.

Kazakhstan and India have been trading partners since 2009. There are over 460 Indian companies operating in Kazakhstan and with $1.2 billion trade in the last fiscal year, Kazakhstan has emerged as the largest trade partner of India in the Central Asian region. Importantly, Kazakhstan is India’s largest supplier of uranium which has been crucial in India's civil nuclear programme in the last 10 years. The assurance of increased supply in the next five years significantly boosts the programme.