The President of Ukraine, Mr Leonid Kuchma, visited the ISRO Satellite Centre this morning (October 5, 2002). He was accompanied by ministers and senior officials of Ukraine. Mr S Kipgen, Ambassador of India to Ukraine and other senior officials of Ministry of External Affairs of Government of India were also present.
Dr K Kasturirangan, Chairman, ISRO, received the Ukraine President and briefed him on the Indian space programme. The President of Ukraine, who is also a space engineer and who was involved in the design of rockets, evinced keen interest in the Indian space programme. He appreciated the efforts of India in the development of space technology and its applications to various national tasks.
It may be noted that India and Ukraine signed a cooperative agreement in 1994 for the peaceful uses of outer space. ISRO and the National Space Agency of Ukraine are the coordinating agencies for this agreement.
The President of Ukraine also visited the spacecraft integration facilities at ISRO Satellite Centre and the space exhibition before his departure from the Centre.
