The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu will embark on a three-nation tour of Gabon, Senegal and Qatar from 30 May to 7 June 2022. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar and three Members of Parliament, Shri Sushil Kumar Modi (Rajya Sabha), Shri Vijay Pal Singh Tomar (Rajya Sabha) and Shri P. Raveendranath (Lok Sabha). It is expected that a number of bilateral documents will be concluded with the three countries.
While Shri Naidu’s visit will be the first by any Vice President to all the three countries, the visit marks the first-ever high level visit from India to Gabon and Senegal. His visit is expected to add momentum to India’s engagement with Africa and emphasise India’s commitment to the African continent.
The Vice President’s visit to Qatar gains prominence as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The visit is expected to further boost the bilateral ties between the countries.
Shri Naidu will begin his tour with Gabon from 30 May to 01 June 2022. In Gabon, he will hold delegation level talks with the Prime Minister of Gabon H.E. Ms. Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, call on the President of Gabon H.E. Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba and meet other dignitaries. He is also expected to interact with the business community in Gabon and address the Indian diaspora there.
Visiting Senegal from 1-3 June, Shri Naidu will hold delegation level talks with President of Senegal H.E. Mr. Macky Sall, meet the President of the National Assembly H.E. Mr. Moustapha Niasse, and other dignitaries. It is notable that India and Senegal are celebrating the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. The Vice President is also expected to attend a business roundtable and address the Indian community.
The last leg of the tour will be the visit to Qatar from 4-7 June 2022. During the visit, Shri Naidu will hold delegation-level talks with Qatar’s Deputy Amir, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Thani, and review bilateral cooperation. He will also meet several other Qatari dignitaries during this visit and address a business roundtable in Qatar. It is noteworthy that Qatar has committed investments of over US$ 2 billion in various Indian companies over the past two years.
On the penultimate day, a community reception is being held marking the Vice President’s visit, where he will address the members of the Indian community in Qatar. India and Qatar have a long history of people to people contacts, with an estimated 750,000 Indian diaspora in Qatar at present.
*****
MS/RK/NS/DP
