VISAKHAPATNAM: Western Australia (WA) deputy premier Roger Cook said there are huge trade opportunities between Andhra Pradesh and WA. Both can work together to unlock these opportunities. This is why AP has been chosen as a sister state by Western Australia, he observed.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle on the side lines of a conference on Exploring Synergies between WA and AP here on Saturday, Roger Cook said: “Vizag is a beautiful city. It has similarities with Western Australia as both have similar population of around 2.5 million. It has good potential for tourism and education. Since we are also interested in energy, we looked at the potential of wind and solar power in rest of the state. We were supposed to meet Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy but could not, as he is busy with floods. We will be back in the state soon," the deputy premier underlined.
He said WA sees itself as a future global energy powerhouse. "We can produce green hydrogen and ammonia to provide great flexibility for meeting future energy needs of the world," Roger Cook noted.
Earlier, state ministers Gudivada Amarnath and Buggana Rajendranath addressed the delegates at the conference. They pointed out that AP has signed eight MoUs with WA.
“It is very gratifying for the state that Western Australia has come forward to provide technical support and skills to invest in mining, minerals, education, skills, power, industrial and manufacturing sectors of AP," said Amarnath.
Rajendranath said there is no dearth of graduates in AP. Keeping in mind the skills they need, we will be taking help from Western Australia, he stated.
MoUs signed are in sectors of international education, space technology, power distribution system, skills and vocational training, manufacturing of medical devices and fisheries.
