India and Cameroon held the third round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on August 7 in the capital of Cameroon, Yaounde. Both sides reviewed the wide-ranging bilateral relations covering political, economic & commercial and defence domains, among others. Moreover, they also discussed ways to strengthen cultural and people-to-people links between both countries.
The Indian side was spearheaded by Sevala Naik Mude, AS (C&WA), while Oumarou Chinmoun, Secretary General of Ministry of External Relations, led the Cameroonian side.
Both India and Cameroon have maintained diplomatic ties, which include the exchange of high-level visits and diplomatic discussions. ”India and Cameroon enjoy warm and friendly relations dating back to the pre-independence era of Cameroon. With the opening of our resident Mission in Yaounde in 2019, our bilateral relations have received further impetus,” said the Ministry.
The two countries have been experiencing considerable growth in bilateral trade. The Ministry highlighted that trade between both countries reached USD 1.1 billion during FY 2022-23 from USD 523 million in 2018–19.
It is noteworthy that India has extended two Lines of Credit (LoCs) worth US$ 79.65 million to the Republic of Cameroon for Rice, maize, and Cassava plantation projects. India has also been supporting Cameroon in capacity building by providing training to Cameroon officials in various areas under ITEC as well as scholarships/ fellowships under ICCR.
On the sidelines of FOC, Sevala Naik Mude, AS(C&WA) paid a courtesy call on Mbella Mbella Lejeune, Minister of External Relations of Cameroon, and discussed bilateral issues of mutual interest.