Seeking to inject a fresh impetus to India's strategic ties with African countries, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday left on a six-day visit to Ethiopia and Tanzania during which he will discuss ways to effectively combat the twin threats of terrorism and piracy.
The spokesperson said India has "always advocated constructive, solution-oriented, and practical engagement with all stakeholders to achieve a negotiated settlement to this conflict".
India is devoting itself to promoting a strategy of diversifying its energy sources.
Senior diplomat Vikas Swarup on Saturday assumed charge as Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry.
Vikas Swarup, whose debut novel was made into the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, has been appointed as spokesperson in the external affairs ministry.
Led by Zweli Mkhize, minister of Finance and Economic Development of KwaZulu-Natal Province, the delegation would include government officials and leading businessmen representing different sectors of the South African economy. Making the announcement in Durban on Monday, Indian Consul General Harsh Varshan Shringla said the Conclave, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Export Import Bank of India, has created trade benchmarks.
Hotlines between New Delhi and Addis Ababa, the headquarters of the African Union, are working overtime to make next month's India-Africa summit as big a success as a similar event organised by China last year. New Delhi's intention to give a new thrust to its relations with Africa was evident when it announced a hike of 60 per cent in its aid to the continent for the next financial year. The 2008-09 Budget presented in Parliament last week, enhanced aid to Africa.
Vice President Hamid Ansari on Monday embarked on a five-day visit to Morocco and Tunisia as part of efforts to build on diplomatic gains from the India-Africa Summit and lay platform for a future partnership.
Indian 'Vedas' have since thousands of years considered sun as at soul of the universe and a nourisher of life, the PM said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will focus on extended neighbourhood, particularly the ASEAN and Central Asian regions, says Archis Mohan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for deeper ties in key areas of counter-terrorism, climate change and UN reforms.
He said India would continue to actively pursue and promote its geo-political, strategic and economic interests on the seas, in particular the Indian Ocean.
The prime minister also pitched for respecting freedom of navigation against the backdrop of South China sea dispute.
Over the last four days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the heads of over 50 African nations, some of whom have extremely unsavoury reputations. Meet the 10 most controversial leaders who visited Delhi this week.
Do Modi's foreign visits actually serve India or they nothing more than expensive tools for domestic positioning and image-building, asks Shehzad Poonawalla.
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