PM leaves for Ethiopia and Tanzania tomorrow

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh leaves Monday on a six-day visit to Ethiopia and
Tanzania to inject a fresh impetus in India's strategic ties
with African countries and discuss ways to effectively combat
the twin threats of terrorism and piracy.
Singh, who will first head for Addis Ababa, the seat of
the African Union, for the Second Africa-India Forum Summit to
be attended by 15 African countries, is also expected to make
a strong pitch for UN reforms.
Like India, Africa too feels the adverse impact of
terrorism and piracy is a phenomenon that affects both Africa
and India and the leaders will discuss "ways and means of
reducing and eliminating it," Vivek Katju, Secretary (West) in
the External Affairs Ministry, said ahead of the visit.
New Delhi has voiced its serious concerns over the
threats posed by Somali pirates since about 11 per cent of
seafarers engaged by international shipping companies are
Indian nationals, some of whom have been taken hostage.
There have been over 200 attacks, including about 70
successful hijackings and ransoms believed to exceed 50
million dollars have been paid to the pirates for securing
the release of hostages and ships.
Singh will co-chair the Summit with the President of
Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in his current
capacity as chairperson of the AU.
The leaders will discuss significant aspects of the
India-Africa partnership with the objective of enhancing its
and widening its ambit for mutual benefit.
The Summit is expected to come out with the Addis Ababa
Declaration setting out the roadmap for further consolidating
the strategic partnership between India and the African
Union. An Africa-India Framework for Enhanced Cooperation will
also be firmed up at the Summit.
New Delhi's push for getting a strong foothold
in Africa comes in the midst of major initiatives being taken
by China and Japan to make deep inroads there.
"Our relationship with Africa stands on its own", says
Katju going on to add,"India is not engaged in competition in
Africa with any other country. We are friends and we will
continue to be friends and brothers. We have a historical
relationship."
On UN reforms, India and all the countries of the
African Union share the view that there is such a need
including expansion in permanent and non-permanent membership
in the UN Security Council.
India wants Africa to get a permanent seat in the
Security Council. African countries too have supported India
for a permanent membership in the UNSC.


The countries that have been asked to participate in
the Summit are Algeria, Burundi, Chad, Egypt, Equatorial
Guinea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Namibia, Mauritania,
Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Swaziland.
On a mission to reach out to the African countries, the
Indian Prime Minister is expected to make a number of
announcements like setting up of four regional centres of
excellence, vocational training centres in African countries,
skill training and an additional Line of Credit.
Singh will have meetings with a number of African
leaders on the margins of the Summit on May 24 and 25.
Indian Prime Minister will be accompanied by his wife
Gursharan Kaur and his delegation at the Summit will include
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, T K A Nair, Principal
Secretary to the Prime Minister, and National Security Adviser
Shivshankar Menon.
The Summit will be preceded by the Foreign Ministers'
meeting tomorrow.
The India-Africa historic relationship, which is rooted
in the struggle against colonialism and apartheid, has evolved
into a multifaceted engagement.
"This comprehensive paradigm of cooperation is premised
on Africa's own aspirations for developing regional and
Pan-African institutions and development programmes," says
Katju.
India's cooperation with African countries cover, among
others, the fields of human resources and institutional
capacity building and education, science and technology,
agricultural productivity and food security besides
development of health, infrastructure and information
communication technologies.
The Prime Minister will release a commemorative stamp,
a book titled 'Two Billion Dreams: Celebrating India-Africa
Friendship' and a special Summit edition of the journal Africa
Quarterly.
He will later hold detailed discussions with his
Ethiopian counterpart Meles Zenawi on a range of bilateral,
regional and international issues.
During his visit to Ethiopia, the first ever by an
Indian Prime Minister, Singh will also address the Ethiopian
Parliament.
India and Ethiopia enjoy a warm and cordial
relationship covering a wide spectrum. In the last two
decades, Indian investments have been up wards of USD 4.5
billion in areas such as agriculture, floriculture,
engineering, plastics manufacturing, cotton and textiles,
pharmaceuticals, health care and ICT.
India has extended Lines of Credit of around USD 700
million for Ethiopia's development process. A large part of
this is to wards development of the sugar industry.
The two sides are expected to sign a significant
agreement relating to Avoidance of Double Taxation during the
visit.
Singh will then embark on a three-day bilateral visit
to Tanzania from May 26, the first Head of Government level
visit from India since 1997.
He will have wide-ranging discussions with President
Jakaya Kikwete, who is on his second term following the
general elections in 2010, to take the bilateral relationship
forward in a comprehensive manner.
India's relations with Tanzania are viewed as positive
and constructive and based on consultation on issues of
international and regional concerns.
For India, Tanzania is an important partner in Africa.
The two countries have played a significant role in the
process of de-colonisation and the struggle against apartheid
and were active participants in developing the process of
South-South Cooperation for the benefit of the developing
world.
India is the second largest investor in Tanzania with
total cumulative investments of USD 1.3 billion (till 2009).
The bilateral trade is over USD 1.1 billion in 2010 and Indian
imports covered a number of agricultural commodities.
There will also be a focus on the two countries'
partnership in the development process in Tanzania through
education, capacity building and infrastructure development.