Delhi, Ankara ink deals on technology and culture

India and Turkey on Monday signed three agreements following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan here.

“IndiaTurkey sign three agreements in the fields of ICT, training and culture,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

An agreement was signed on a cultural exchange programme for the years 20172020.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Foreign Services Institute (FSI) of India and the Diplomacy Academy of Turkey.

Another MoU was signed on cooperation in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT).

Earlier on Monday, President Pranab Mukherjee and Modi received Erdogan in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan where he was accorded a ceremonial welcome with a guard of honour.

Later, Erdogan paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the Turkish President and discussed issues of bilateral interest. Modi and Erdogan then addressed a business summit organised by industry organisations CII, Ficci and Assocham, at which both leaders called for boosting India-Turkey trade and economic ties. On Monday evening, President Pranab Mukherjee will host a banquet at Rashtrapati Bhavan in honour of the visiting dignitary.

Erdogan arrived here on Sunday on a two-day visit to India. He last visited India in 2008 when he was the PM.