Indian PM finishes visit to Canada after signing deals on energy cooperation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to Canada on Thursday after witnessing the signing of several agreements on bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, among others.

Modi, who swept to power last May to become the 15th prime minister of India, is the first Indian prime minister to have visited Canada since Indira Gandhi's last visit to Ottawa in 1973.

During his two-and-a-half-day stay, Modi met here with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper Wednesday and signed several agreements, including a contract of 350 million Canadian dollars (287 million U.S. dollars), in which Canadian-based Comeco Corp., the world's largest publicly traded uranium company, will supply India's nuclear power reactors with more than 7 million pounds of enriched uranium over the next five years.

India is the world's fourth-largest energy consumer and is expected to more than triple its electricity supply within the next quarter-century, according to Harper's office.

Meanwhile, Modi announced that India would issue electronic authorizations of tourist visas to Canadian nationals, which would be eligible for 10-year visas.

With bilateral merchandise trade estimated to be at least 6.3 billion dollars, the two sides are keen to finalize a bilateral economic partnership agreement that's been in work since late 2010 and which Modi hoped would conclude in September. Endi