During her first visit to Angola as Indian Head of State, President Draupadi Murmu said that energy cooperation is the foundation of trade relations between the two countries.
“Our economic partnership is built on a vital energy partnership,” she said in a statement. “We agreed to further diversify trade and investment relations in new areas, including technology, agriculture, health, defense, infrastructure and people-to-people relations.”
Mormo held bilateral talks with her Angolan counterpart, Joao Lourenco, in Luanda. Earlier, she received a grand official reception and a guard of honor at the presidential palace in Luanda upon her arrival. The two leaders held comprehensive talks aimed at deepening the multifaceted partnership between India and Angola.
During the discussions, President Murmu stressed the importance of expanding cooperation across a wide range of sectors that reflect the common priorities and complementarities between the two countries. It highlighted potential cooperation in areas such as the exchange of parliamentary best practices, agriculture – especially in the area of seeds and fertilisers – oil exploration and refining, communications and transport infrastructure, rare earth minerals and diamond processing.
The President emphasized India’s specific expertise in many of these areas and conveyed India’s readiness to work closely with Angola in harnessing these opportunities for mutual growth and prosperity. It also focused heavily on capacity building and training, digital public infrastructure, defense cooperation, and UN Security Council reforms.
Lauding Angola’s commitment to sustainable development, President Murmu congratulated the country on joining two major global initiatives led by India – the Global Biofuel Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance – underscoring Angola’s proactive role in addressing global challenges related to the environment and biodiversity. The two sides are scheduled to sign and exchange several memorandums of understanding to formalize cooperation in specific sectors.
India and Angola also signed three memorandums of understanding in the field of defence, culture and Ayurveda.
Story continues below this ad
Two memorandums of understanding were signed to enhance cooperation in the fields of fisheries, aquaculture, marine resources and consular affairs. It was also decided to proceed with the air services agreement.
Murmu is on a four-day state visit to Angola, the first by an Indian president. The President’s visit comes as Angola celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence (November 11), which she will attend, and the two countries celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations in 2025. India has been among Angola’s top three trading partners for several years, and is currently second only to China, sharing about 10% of Angola’s foreign trade, according to official statistics reported by the MEA.
Stay up to date with the latest developments – click here to follow us on Instagram
© Indian Express Company Limited
(Tags for translation) President Draupadi Murmu
