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President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Luanda on Saturday night as part of her state visit to Angola.
This is the first-ever State visit by an Indian Head of State to the African country. According to Rashtrapati Bhavan, this historic visit highlights India's commitment to strengthening ties with Africa and the Global South. President Murmu is in Angola as part of the first leg of the tour from November 8 to 11, at the invitation of her Angolan counterpart, Joo Lourenco. Earlier on Thursday, while addressing a special press briefing on the visit of the President, MEA Secretary of Economic Relations Sudhakar Dalela said that the visit reflects India's growing focus on strengthening partnerships with countries of the Global South, particularly in Africa, across political, economic, developmental, and cultural dimensions, further noting that the visit also includes discussions on translocating cheetahs from Botswana as part of Project Cheetah. According to the MEA, during her time in Angola, President Murmu is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with her Angolan counterpart, attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of Angola's independence on November 11, address the Angolan Parliament, and interact with members of the Indian community. Earlier in May, Laurenco visited at the invitation of President Murmu, during which he extended his invitation to the President for a visit to the African nation. Meanwhile, from November 11 to 13, the President will visit Botswana at the invitation of President Duma Gideon Boko, during which she will hold bilateral discussions with the Botswana leadership, focusing on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, technology, energy, agriculture, health, pharmaceuticals, defence, and people-to-people exchanges. She will also address the National Assembly of Botswana and visit sites of cultural and historical significance. India's relations with Africa have expanded significantly in recent years, with growing collaboration in capacity building, digital public infrastructure, energy transition, mineral and multilateral cooperation. The upcoming presidential visit is expected to further cement these strategic and people-centric partnerships across the continent. (ANI)
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