PM returns home after Belgium, Germany visit

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today returned home after a 3-day visit to Belgium and Germany during which he attended the EU-India Summit and met Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Singh was in Brussels in Belgium on Thursday and Friday to attend 11th annual summit of India and the European Union during which the two sides pressed Pakistan to "expeditiously" bring the perpetrators, authors and accomplices of Mumbai terror attacks to justice.

The two sides also agreed to give each other "real additional" market in services in the proposed FTA and retain flexibility for Indian pharmaceuticals to export off-patent drugs as provided in a WTO agreement.

In Germany, Singh met Merkel and said that both sides discussed the possibility of entering into bilateral cooperation in civil nuclear energy.

If this crystalises, Germany will follow the US, France and some other countries for civil nuclear cooperation with India.

Singh said India deeply valued Germany's consistent support in the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group for the opening of international commerce for New Delhi in the field of civil nuclear energy.