Tuesday, May 10 2005 08:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: Romania yesterday (May 9, 2005) strongly backed India's quest for the permanent membership of the expanded UN Security Council (UNSC) and expressed keen desire for Indian investments in the Central European nation.

"During his 30-minute meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Romanian President Traian Basescu gave unqualified support for India's quest for the permanent membership of the UNSC," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters in Moscow.

The Romanian President, who was "very appreciative and knowledgeable" about India's economic growth in the recent years, expressed keen desire in massive Indian investments in his former Communist country's economy, specially in the field of steel, textiles and IT sectors.

"India would have a true friend in European Union (EU), when Romania joins it on January 1, 2007," Basescu assured Prime Minister Singh.

In an apparent reference to NRI steel tycoon Laxmi Mittal's investments in Romanian steel sector, the President noted that Indian investments have already resulted in a critical turnaround of his country's economy.

Noting that while half the staff in the US software giant Microsoft is Indian, he said the other half was Romanian and this gave a ground for closer cooperation in Information Technology between the two countries.