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The first round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Liberia took place in Monrovia. The meeting was attended by top officials from both the countries.
In a press statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, it was noted that the consultations were co-chaired by Sevala Naik Mude, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, and Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Liberia, held on December 17. During the visit, Mude also called on Jeremiah Kpan Koung, Vice President and Louise M Kpoto, Minister of Health and Social Welfare amongst other ministers. In a significant gesture, the Liberian Ministers expressed their deep appreciation for India's efforts in making the African Union a permanent member of the G20. Liberia has also been an active participant in the Voice of Global South Summits hosted by India, and the Ministers recognized that membership of the G20 for the Africa Union will reinforce the Global South's standing at the forum, the MEA observed. During the FOC, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the entire gamut of India-Liberia bilateral relations encompassing key areas of bilateral cooperation including trade, investment, mining, agriculture, health & pharmaceuticals, education, capacity building and people-to-people exchanges. The two countries agreed to further deepen and diversify bilateral ties in key areas of contemporary relevance such as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), energy development and development cooperation, the MEA noted. India and Liberia share warm and friendly relations. As per the MEA, there have been regular visits from both sides. The opening of India's Resident Mission in Monrovia in 2021 has enhanced more interactions. The Liberian side have expressed their desire to open their resident Mission in New Delhi soon. The India-Liberia bilateral trade has registered USD 256 million during 2023-24, a significant portion of the bilateral trade was India's export to Liberia. Also, Liberia is a beneficiary of the duty-free tariff preference scheme extended by India which will facilitate Liberian exports of timber, vegetable oil, rubber and other commodities to India. There exists significant potential in other sectors particularly in agriculture, mineral exploration and pharmaceuticals. At present, there are over 200 Indian companies operating in Liberia in various sectors including automobiles, mining, health care, electronics, pharmaceuticals etc. Some of them are traders and some of them are having their manufacturing and mining activities. Liberia is a member of the International Solar Alliance. India and Liberia agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date. (ANI)
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