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India, Nigeria To Sign Four Pacts
Sunil Dang onboard with PM's
special aircraft
 India
and Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and most populous nation, are
set to take their ties to a new level by signing four pacts in diverse
areas including defence cooperation and firm up an agenda for closer
energy partnership.
Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh began talks with Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua on a
range of bilateral and global issues including energy security, UN
reforms, multilateral trade talks and terrorism.
India's Foreign Service Institute and the Nigerian Foreign Service
Academy will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The Indian
Council for World Affairs and the Nigerian Institute for World Affairs
will sign another MoU.
A protocol on foreign office consultations and another on defence
cooperation too will be signed.
The two countries will firm up an all-embracing agenda for closer energy
and economic partnership that could include new oil exploration blocks
and infrastructure deals as well as a roadmap for diversifying relations
between them.
The focus will be on improving connectivity and enhancing bilateral
trade, which is currently estimated to be around $8 billion.
Over the next six months, agreements on double taxation avoidance
agreement and bilateral investment and protection will be finalised and
signed between the two countries.
A trade agreement and another pact on bilateral air service agreementare
also likely to be finalised by April next year.
An extradition treaty and an agreement on science and technology will be
ready over the next six months. | 
