India and Mauritania held their first Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Mauritania’s national capital, Nouakchott, on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official press release.
The meeting was co-chaired by Sevala Naik Mude, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India, and Mohammed El Hanchi Kettab, Director General of Bilateral Cooperation at Mauritania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“During the consultations, both delegations engaged in constructive discussions on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest. The discussions encompassed various facets of collaboration, including political cooperation, economic partnership, development assistance, cultural exchanges, and cooperation in multilateral forums,” the MEA release said.
Both sides also agreed to hold the next round of the FOC meeting in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date.
“India and Mauritania share long-standing ties of friendship and collaboration. The bilateral trade between India and Mauritania has grown steadily over the last three years, and it reached $378.24 million during 2022-23, from $108.91 million in 2021-22. Both sides agreed to continue engagements through institutional mechanisms,” the release stated.
India opened its mission in Nouakchott in June 2021. The Indian government has extended a Line of Credit (LOC) worth $21.8 million to Mauritania for agro-industries (milk processing plant) and drinking water projects in the country.
India’s exports to Mauritania include a variety of goods such as cereals and related products, tanning and dyeing extracts, plastic products, cotton, ceramic items, iron and steel products, boilers and related mechanical appliances, and non-railway vehicles. Mauritania predominantly exports iron and steel, ores, slag, ash, cotton and copper-made articles, aluminum, electrical machinery, and other related commodities to India.
(ANI)