India, Belarus Sign 10 Pacts, To Expand Military Cooperation

India and Belarus today inked 10 pacts to expand cooperation in a range of areas and decided to explore joint development and manufacture of military platforms, giving a fresh momentum in bilateral ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belarus President A G Lukashenko, during their extensive talks, also agreed to focus on ramping up economic engagement between the two countries, holding that there was a huge scope for boosting trade and investment.

"We will encourage joint development and manufacturing in defence sector under the 'Make in India' programme," Modi said in a media statement.

The prime minister said he and Lukashenko reviewed the "architecture" of India-Belarus partnership and exchanged ideas to expand it.

The pacts inked provided for enhancing bilateral cooperation in a variety of areas, including oil and gas, education and sports.