President Droupadi Murmu, currently on a three-nation tour, met with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani at the Presidential Palace in Nouakchott on Wednesday. This marks the first-ever visit by an Indian president to Mauritania.
During their discussions, the two leaders focused on strengthening bilateral relations between India and Mauritania. To formalize their cooperation, both countries signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering various sectors, including the training of diplomats, cultural exchange programs, visa exemptions, and Foreign Office consultations.
In a post shared on X by the Ministry of External Affairs, the talks highlighted the ongoing collaboration in areas such as health, education, trade, investment, and capacity building.
https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1846739736175456446
President Murmu also took time to meet with the Indian community in Mauritania, praising their contributions to the country’s socio-economic growth. She highlighted the vital role the Indian diaspora plays in India’s development and its vision for ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
She said, “with the support of the Indian diaspora, India can contribute towards Mauritania in areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, development and digital innovation.”
Further, the President met with Mauritania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, to explore additional areas of cooperation.
In its press briefing on the President’s visit to Mauritania, the MEA said that the importance of the visit has to be seen in the context of Africa as a continent and how India wishes to engage and looking at having a stronger partnership with Africa.
“The partnership with Africa is very important because of multiple reasons such as the 33.2 million Indian strong diaspora is present in Africa and “shared values with the continent in terms of the freedom, liberty, democracy, and people-to-people contacts,” MEA added.
Mauritania, rich in natural resources such as iron ore, copper, gold, and diamonds, presents significant opportunities for Indian investments, particularly in the energy and oil sectors.
The President arrived in Mauritania on October 16. Her visit is taking place when Mauritania is currently holding the Chair-ship of the African Union.
President Droupadi Murmu’s visit becomes very important as this is the first visit by an Indian President to Mauritania. (ANI)