India, Angola pledge to deepen bilateral cooperation; sign MOUs

Luanda (Angola), Nov 9 (PTI) India and Angola on Sunday exchanged multiple Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) to strengthen bilateral ties on subjects like fisheries, aquaculture and marine resources during the first day of President Droupadi Murmu's official engagements in the African country.

The President is on a four-day state visit to the country between November 8-11. This is the first visit by an Indian president to Angola.

Murmu was officially welcomed at the Presidential Palace here by Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, starting with a 21-gun salute and a ceremonial guard of honour.

The two leaders later sat down for delegation-level talks, following which MOUs were exchanged between the two countries, followed by a joint reading of statements before the press.

Murmu said the partnership between India and Angola was built on "mutual trust, respect and a shared vision for the prosperity of our peoples." She thanked the Angolan people and the government for hosting her delegation in their country and also for inviting her to attend the 50th anniversary of their independence on November 11.

The President expressed happiness over Angola’s developmental efforts aimed at ensuring the progress and prosperity of its people.

Murmu, during the delegation-level talks, underlined the "thriving" energy trade partnership between the two countries and said that Angola plays an important role in India’s energy security.

Both leaders agreed to "further diversify" trade and investment ties in new and emerging areas, including technology, agriculture, health, defence, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges.

"MoUs on cooperation in fisheries, aquaculture and marine resources, and on cooperation in consular matters were exchanged on the occasion," an official statement said.

Murmu also said India welcomes Angola’s decision to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) as the two nations agreed to continue working together to "deepen" mutual cooperation in various subjects as well as under the broader framework of the India–Africa Forum Summit.

After the end of discussions, the Angolan President hosted a banquet lunch in honour of his Indian counterpart.

Murmu is scheduled to address the Angolan National Assembly on Monday. After finishing the Angola visit, she will travel to Botswana for the second leg of her state visit between November 11-13.

Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti V Somanna and Lok Sabha MPs Prabhubhai Vasava and D K Aruna are accompanying the President on this trip. PTI NES SCY SCY