Vice President Venkaiah Naidu holds delegation-level talks with PM of Gabon

New Delhi: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu held delegation-level talks with Prime Minister of Gabon, Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda in Libreville on Tuesday (May 31). He also attended a reception hosted by the Indian community in Libreville, Gabon.

“Shri Naidu appreciated the small but significant Indian diaspora for its noteworthy contribution to the growth and development of Gabon,” an official tweet said.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, infusing a fresh impetus to the bilateral relations, Vice President Naidu and the PM of Gabon discussed cooperation in development, energy, trade, and climate, among others.

They also witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoUs in Libreville. Two MoUs were signed between India and Gabon for establishing a Joint Commission and diplomats’ training.

Earlier, Vice President Naidu met the central African country’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba.

The Vice President’s Office tweeted that during the meeting, Mr Naidu said, 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.

Mr Naidu also met Gabon Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Moussa-Adamo.

The Vice President Naidu-led delegation reached Libreville on Monday night in the first leg of his three-nation tour to Gabon, Senegal and Qatar.

Mr Naidu addressed the business community in Libreville at an event organized by India-Gabon Business Forum.

He 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 visit to Gabon and Senegal is aimed at boosting India’s engagement with Africa and also emphasise its commitment to the African continent.

As both sides prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the visit to Qatar will further enhance the bilateral ties.