India, Djibouti sign agreement on bilateral consultations during President Kovind's visit

DJIBOUTI CITY: India and Djibouti today signed an agreement to establish regular Foreign Office-level consultations during President Ram Nath Kovind's visit here.     

The agreement was signed after Kovind and his Djiboutian counterpart Omar Guelleh held talks.   

Kovind thanked Guelleh for his country's support during Operation Rahat for evacuating Indians from war-torn Yemen in 2015, and also discussed cooperation in the maritime and renewable energy domains.    He also urged for an early ratification of Djibouti's membership of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and mentioned its solar energy potential.  The ISA was jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande at the CoP21 in Paris in 2015.     

The aim of the ISA is to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries and promote the use of solar energy.     

Earlier today, Kovind was accorded a ceremonial welcome by Guelleh at the Presidential Palace here before leading delegation-level talks.

Kovind, who arrived here yesterday on the first leg of his four-day visit to Djibouti and Ethiopia, is on his maiden trip abroad since taking office. He is the first Indian leader to visit Djibouti.     

Kovind's visit to the strategically-located African nation assumes significance as China has opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti.