Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (ER), in the ministry, told reporters that the President’s visit to the two African nations, the first by an Indian Head of State, is part of efforts to increase India’s engagement with countries in Africa. The visit will focus on cooperation in areas such as politics, trade and economy.
File photo of President Droupadi Murmu
The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday announced that President Droupadi Murmu will be travelling to the African nations of Angola and Botswana starting this weekend.
At a press conference, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the visit will take place from November 8 to 13. “This briefing is about the upcoming visit of the President of India to Angola and Botswana. The visit will take place from November 8-13…”
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Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (ER), in the ministry, told reporters that the President’s visit to the two African nations, the first by an Indian Head of State, is part of efforts to increase India’s engagement with countries in Africa. The visit will focus on cooperation in areas such as politics, trade and economy.
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“The President will be paying a state visit to Angola and Botswana from November 8-13. This will be the first state visit by the head of state to Angola and Botswana. India’s engagement with Africa has been growing across all key pillars, from political to trade and economy, to development partnerships, and people-to-people connections,” Dalela said.
“There have been numerous high-level political engagements, at the level of the heads of state, heads of government, PMs, EAMs. These engagements have allowed us to deepen our cooperation across the African region across sectors,” he added.
The President will travel to Angola first, starting on November 8; her visit there will conclude on November 11. President Murmu is travelling to Angola on the invitation of the President of the African country, who had also visited India.
“She will be participating in the 50th anniversary celebration of Angolan freedom. India had supported the Angolan freedom struggle. She will be having bilateral talks, address the Angolan Parliament, and interact with the Indian community,” Dalela said.
Dalela added that on the second leg of the visit, the President will be in Botswana from November 11-13 at the invitation of the President of Botswana. President Murmu will hold bilateral talks during the visit with her Botswana counterpart, and the two leaders will explore new avenues for enhancing bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade and investments, technology, energy, agriculture, health, pharmaceuticals, defence, and people-to-people connections.
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