India positive on getting Seoul's support at NSG

India on Monday sounded positive on getting South Korea's support at the NSG after the issue came up for discussion between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his counterpart Song Min-soon in Seoul.

India on Monday sounded positive on getting South Korea's support at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after the issue came up for discussion between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his counterpart Song Min-soon in Seoul.

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The two countries also expressed a desire to give a strategic dimension to their bilateral relations as they agreed to negotiate a Maritime Agreement and decided to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by the year-end and Double Taxation Avoidance agreement by next year.

The nuclear issue came up during talks between Mukherjee and Song considering that South Korea is a member of NSG and India has to seek changes in guidelines of the 45-nation grouping to allow international community to have trade with it in the field.

"They are aware of our concerns for access to civil nuclear energy," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said after the talks.

"As and when the matter is taken up at the NSG, we hope they may take a positive view," he said when asked about South Korea's view on India's aspiration for civil nuclear energy.