Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 innocent lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reaffirmed his commitment “to take firm and decisive action against the terrorists and those who support them.”

“We are committed to taking firm and decisive action against the terrorists and those who support them,” Mr Modi said in a joint press statement after holding bilateral talks with the visiting Angolan President, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço.

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“We are firmly united in our stance against terrorism. I expressed my gratitude to President Lourenço and the people of Angola for their sympathies towards those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack,” the Prime Minister added.

“We are unanimous in our belief that terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity…We thank Angola for its support in our fight against cross-border terrorism,” he emphasized.

Recalling that India is one of the largest buyers of Angola’s oil and gas, the Prime Minister said: “We have decided to expand our energy partnership. I am happy to announce that a defence credit line of $200 million has been approved for the modernization of Angola’s forces.”

India is the third-largest trading partner of Angola, accounting for about 10% of Angola’s external trade—mainly due to bulk crude oil purchases. The trade balance is in Angola’s favour, with India being the second-largest importer of Angolan oil, which constitutes 90% of India’s bilateral trade with the country.

Disclosing that his discussions with President Lourenço also included repair and overhaul of defence platforms and supplies, Mr. Modi said: “We would be happy to assist in training Angola’s armed forces.”

He added that, as part of the development partnership, “we will share our capabilities with Angola in digital public infrastructure, space technology, and capacity building.”

“Today, we have also decided to further strengthen our ties in the areas of healthcare, diamond processing, fertilizers, and critical minerals,” the Prime Minister said, adding that “the popularity of yoga and Bollywood in Angola is a symbol of the strength of our cultural ties. To enhance people-to-people relations, we have decided to initiate a Youth Exchange Programme between our two nations.”

Welcoming Angola’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance, Mr Modi said: “We have also invited Angola to join India’s initiatives: the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the Big Cat Alliance, and the Global Biofuels Alliance.”

Extending best wishes to Angola on behalf of 140 crore Indians for its presidency of the African Union, the Prime Minister said: “It is a matter of pride for us that during India’s G20 presidency, the African Union secured permanent membership in the G20.”

Reiterating that India’s cooperation with African countries has gained momentum over the past decade, Mr. Modi stated: “Our mutual trade has reached nearly \$100 billion. There has been significant progress in defence cooperation and maritime security. Just last month, the first naval maritime exercise ‘Akyam’ was conducted between India and Africa.”

“In the past 10 years, we have opened 17 new embassies in Africa. Credit lines of over $12 billion have been allocated for Africa, in addition to \$700 million in grant assistance. Vocational training centres have been established in eight African countries. We are collaborating with five African nations on digital public infrastructure. In times of disaster, India has consistently played the role of ‘First Responder,’ standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Africa,” the Prime Minister concluded.