New Delhi, Nov 5 (UNI) Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan during his three-day visit to The Gambia announced the repurposing of a US$ 500,000 grant for procuring dialysis machines for the West African nation and also released the design of a commemorative stamp marking 75 years of India’s Independence.
The Minister’s November 1-3 visit was as a follow-up to the first-ever state visit by President Ram Nath Kovind to The Gambia in 2019.
During the visit, MoS called on President Adama Barrow. He also held discussions with Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara on bilateral cooperation and reviewed the entire gamut of our bilateral relations, said an official statement.
He also met the Speaker of the National Assembly Mariam Jack-Denton, and Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Badara Joof.
There is a mutual desire to further enhance bilateral trade and development partnership between India and The Gambia.
Two Agreements were inked during the visit: an Agreement on Exemption from Visa requirement for Holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports; and a General Framework Agreement for Cooperation between India and The Gambia.
Based on The Gambia’s request, repurposing of US $ 500,000 grant for procuring dialysis machines was announced during the visit. Along with Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara, Muraleedharan released the design of a commemorative stamp, marking 75 years of India’s Independence.
He also visited the National Assembly Building Complex of The Gambia in Banjul, which is one of the landmark projects in West Africa built under an Indian Line of Credit. He also visited two ongoing Indian LOC projects, an Electrification expansion Project and a Water project of Replacement of Asbestos water pipes with UPVC in the Greater Banjul area. In addition, he visited the construction site of Katchikally Museum and University of The Gambia, which is a Gambian Government project being constructed by an Indian company.
The Gambia has a small but vibrant Indian community of about 1,600 persons, mostly traders and businessmen. MoS interacted with members of the Indian community during the visit. Overall, the visit set the tone for further diversifying and deepening our bilateral relations with The Gambia, the statement said.
UNI/RN