After Pak, Afghanistan shows no interest in Modi's satellite project
May 15, 2016 12:55
After Pakistan, which pulled out of India-mooted South Asian Satellite Project, Afghanistan too has shown no interest in the venture. Sources said Afghanistan has tied up with a European company for its space-related needs.
"We had several rounds of discussions with Afghanistan. At one point they demand a particular thing and we have an agreement. In the next meeting, they would put forth some other demand.
"Another issue was the location of the satellite. The location where India and Afghanistan wanted to place their satellite in the orbit was more or less the same," an official involved in the negotiations said.
Sources said Bangladesh too is not very keen on the satellite project as it is set for launch of its own geostationary communications satellite Bang Bandhu-1.
However, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal are still keen on taking the project forward and talks are on with these countries.
In June 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked ISRO to develop the satellite which can be dedicated as a "gift" to the neighbouring countries. He had also made the announcement at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu.
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