New Delhi, Sep 15 - After signing a uranium deal with Mongolia, India turns its gaze towards Turkmenistan with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna visiting the gas-rich Central Asian republic from Belarus, the first stop of his two-nation tour beginning Wednesday.
In Belarus, Krishna will call on President Alexander Lukashenko and hold wide-ranging talks with his counterpart Sergey Martynov. India and Belarus will sign an agreement on cooperation in physical education and another pact on the establishment of a Digital Learning Centre in Minsk.
The centre will impart skills in advanced computing and software creation to young Belarusian students, initially with Indian faculty members and thereafter with trained Belarusian professionals, the external affairs ministry said here while announcing Krishna's visit.
With austerity as the reigning mantra of the government, Krishna will travel to Minsk via Frankfurt in economy class on commercial flights.
On Friday, Krishna heads to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. A programme of cooperation between the foreign ministries of India and Turkmenistan will be signed during the visit.