UPI reports that India may be planning to expand its presence in the Caspian and Central Asian energy market, particularly by obtaining some oil assets in Kazakhstan following Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari’s six-day official visit to the region. .

Bilateral trade statistics indicate rising mutual interests, as Indian-Kazakh trade has soared from $60 million in 2002 to nearly $196 million in 2007. In result of the visit, a Joint Working Group on Hydrocarbons was established during the discussions under the umbrella of Inter-Governmental Commission.

India is looking forward to Kazakh-Indian hydrocarbon pipelines, although any of those would have to traverse Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are not too stable. Besides, as was reported earlier, ONGC Mittal Energy Ltd (OMEL, equal joint venture with state-run ONGC Videsh), was experiencing some bewilderment over Kazakh legislative environment for the oil investors. That said, besides hydrocarbons, New Delhi has another energy interest in Kazakhstan – uranium, UPI reports.