Luanda (Angola), Nov 9 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday said India and Angola had “unlimited possibilities” to expand their ties in sectors like energy, agriculture, food processing and medicines, while these bonds can be “strengthened” in areas like critical minerals exploration and diamond processing.
Murmu is on a four-day state visit to Angola, the first by an Indian President. The President’s trip comes at a time when Angola is celebrating its 50th Independence Day anniversary (November 11), which she will attend, and both countries are observing 40 years of the establishment of their diplomatic ties in 2025.
India has been among the top three trading partners of Angola for some years, and currently it is second after China, sharing about 10 per cent of Angola´s external trade, as per official statistics reported by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The balance of trade is in Angola’s favour, with India being the second largest oil importer of Angola, which accounts for 90 per cent of bilateral trade, records state.
The President, after her delegation-level meeting with Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco at the Presidential Palace here, recalled her recent counterpart’s state visit to India in May, adding that India was “committed” to forging strong ties with his nation, one of the major oil producers in Africa.
She said there were “unlimited possibilities” to expand the ties between the two countries in the energy, agriculture, food processing and medicines sectors.
“There are other areas where we need to strengthen our ties,” she said as she mentioned the “desire” and “capability” of Indian companies to explore rare earth minerals, diamond processing and defence production in Angola that borders the Atlantic Ocean on its west side.
Murmu said India has brought a “revolutionary” change in its digital public infrastructure through financial inclusion and e-commerce services, and it was “ready to share” these experiences with Angola.
“Indian companies are capable of exploration of critical and rare earth minerals in Angola, and this cooperation can be extended to electric vehicles, semiconductor technology and artificial intelligence (AI),” she said.
She said the same can be done in the diamond cutting and polishing business.
India, Murmu said, was constructing more than 12,000 km of roads every year and “we can share the expertise” for the creation of rail and road infrastructure with Angola, adding that high-speed ‘Vande Bharat’ trains can be delivered to the country. The president said both countries had a good share of youth in their population, as she requested the Angolan government to send its citizens for the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, a special skilling module for the nationals of foreign countries.
India is the world’s largest democracy and we are also eager to share “parliamentary experiences and best practices” with Angola, she said.
The President, after finishing her state visit to Angola on November 11, will travel to neighbouring Botswana on the same day for a similar visit till November 13. PTI NES RD RD
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