NEW DEHLI - India and Afghanistan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote the arts and cultural heritage of Afghanistan.
The MOU was signed here by India's Culture Minister Kumari Selja and Afghanistan's Information and Culture Minister Sayed Makhdoom Raheen, the culture ministry said in a statement Friday. The tentative areas of cooperation includes promotion of art and culture, development of archaeological institutions, museums, libraries and archives, preservation and restoration of historical and cultural sites, promotion of cultural heritage of Afghanistan and marketing of cultural places to improve tourism in Afghanistan.

The agreement is part of a broader pact on the National Institution Building Project (NIBP) signed in March 2010 between the Indian external affairs ministry's Independent Administrative Reforms and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC), the Afghan government and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for facilitating public sector capacity development in Afghanistan.
The MOU signed Friday aims at sending capacity development advisors (CDAs) from India to provide capacity development support to Afghanistan for common functions of government including policy and strategy development, project management, financial management, procurement and human resource management and technical areas.
The contribution by the Indian ministry of culture shall be in kind in terms of provision of services of its experts and advisors according to the agreement. (IANS)