AMN / WEB DESK
Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu met President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon in Libreville today. During the meeting Venkaiah Naidu said that India attaches great importance to its relations with Gabon and reiterated the commitment of the Government of India to be Gabon’s reliable partner in its development journey, the Vice President’s Office tweeted.
Earlier Mr Naidu met the Foreign Affairs Minister, Michael Moussa-Adamo. In a tweet, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the Foreign Minister of Gabon called on Mr Naidu. Vice President Naidu reached Libreville last night in the first leg of his three-nation tour to Gabon, Senegal and Qatar. The visit aims to re-energize the India-Gabon partnership. During this visit, the Vice President will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister of Gabon Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda. He will also interact with the business community in Gabon and address the Indian diaspora.
Mr Naidu is accompanied by a high-level delegation including Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pawar and three Members of Parliament, Sushil Kumar Modi, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar and P. Raveendranath.
This is the first-ever visit from India at the level of Vice President to all three countries. The Vice President’s visit to Gabon and to Senegal will add momentum to India’s engagement with Africa and also emphasise its commitment to the African continent. The visit to Qatar, as both sides prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, will further enhance the bilateral ties. A number of bilateral documents are expected to be concluded during the visit to the three countries.