External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with Foreign Minister of Somalia Yusuf Garaad Omar.
India and Somalia on Tuesday signed an agreement for transfer of sentenced prisoners after a meeting between their foreign ministers, who discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including issues of piracy and maritime security. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Minister of Somalia Yusuf Garaad Omar, who arrived here on Monday on a five-day visit, also held talks on regional issues pertaining to developments in the Gulf region and India’s neighbourhood, a Ministry of External Affairs statement said.
“An Agreement for Transfer of Sentenced Persons between India and Somalia was also signed,” it said. The agreement will help Indian inmates imprisoned in Somalia or vice versa be near their families while serving the remainder of their sentence and also facilitate their social rehabilitation.
Omar also had a meeting with Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar. According to the MEA, the Indian Navy has been involved in anti-piracy patrolling in the Gulf of Aden since 2008. India is also a member of the UN Contact Group on Piracy off the coast of Somalia, it said.
