Venkaiah completes 2-day visit to Gabon in Africa
As part of his three nations tour, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu arrived in Gabon on May 30 on his first ever high-level bilateral official visit from May 30 to June 1.
image for illustrative purpose
Hyderabad: As part of his three nations tour, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu arrived in Gabon on May 30 on his first ever high-level bilateral official visit from May 30 to June 1. The visit signifies India's commitment to engage closely with Africa. On his arrival, the Venkaiah Naidu was warmly received by the Prime Minister of Gabon Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Moussa-Adamo.
On May 31, Venkaiah called on President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who warmly received him at the Presidential palace. The Gabonese President fondly recalled his earlier visits to India in 2015 and 2018.
The Vice President also had a tete-a-tete with Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda followed by delegation level talks with PM and her cabinet colleagues during which the entire gamut of bilateral relations including regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest were reviewed.
Both leaders had also discussed active economic engagement and identified new areas for cooperation, particularly in agriculture, green energy, mining, health and pharma, ICT, defence and maritime security. Both sides noted the need for cooperation in skill development/training and capacity building in key sectors.
India and Gabon signed two MoUs/Agreements: (i) MoU for cooperation between India's Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and Gabon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and (ii) An agreement for establishment of Joint Commission between two Foreign Ministries. The Gabonese side also requested India to open a resident mission in Libreville.
Indian and Gabon have seen intense cooperation at the UN with mutual support extended to each other's candidatures at UN and other international fora. India and Gabon agreed to work closely as non-permanent members of UNSC on climate change, counter terrorism and reform of the UN.
During the visit, Venkiah Naidu announced a special training programme for a batch of 20 Gabonese diplomats at Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Services.
Before his departure from Libreville on June 1, the Vice President visited Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ), where around 54 Indian companies are operating.
