Bangalore: Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma on October 5 evinced keen interest in the Indian space programme, being a space engineer himself who was involved in the design of rockets, and spoke appreciatively of it.

The President, who went round the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) satellite centre, lauded the efforts by India in the development of space technology and its applications to various national tasks, an ISRO release said.

Kuchma was accompanied by ministers and senior officials of Ukraine.

India and Ukraine signed a co-operative agreement in 1994 for peaceful uses of outer space for which ISRO and the National Space Agency of Ukraine are co-ordinating agencies.

Kuchma also visited the spacecraft integration facilities at ISRO satellite centre and the space exhibition.

He later left for Agra at the end of his two-day visit to the city, which focused on Information Technology and space.

PTI