During the visit, he will meet Mozambique’s top leadership and co-chair the 5th Session of the Joint Commission Meeting with Mozambican Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo…reports Asian Lite News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be on Uganda and Mozambique visit from April 10-15 to further strengthen India’s “strong bilateral relations” with the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Sunday.
The EAM will visit Uganda from April 10-12. During the visit, he is expected to hold delegation-level talks with his Ugandan counterpart General Jeje Odongo and call on the leadership of the country and meet other Ministers, the statement said. During the visit, Jaishankar will inaugurate the transit campus of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Jinja. A bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the India and Uganda on setting up of the first-ever campus of NFSU outside India is likely to be signed during the visit, it said.
Jaishankar will also attend the ground-breaking ceremony of a solar-powered water supply project in Uganda. He will also address the trade and business community of Uganda and have an interaction with the Indian diaspora, according to MEA press release.
While from April 13-15, Jaishankar will visit Mozambique. “This will be the first-ever visit by an External Affairs Minister of India to the Republic of Mozambique,” the MEA noted.
During the visit, he will meet Mozambique’s top leadership and co-chair the 5th Session of the Joint Commission Meeting with Mozambican Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo.
The EAM is expected to meet several other Ministers and representatives of the Assembly of Mozambique. He will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Mozambique, the MEA added.
$2 million to ATMIS
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj on Friday handed over the contribution of USD 2 million to the United Nations Trust Fund in support of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), reiterating New Delhi’s commitment to peace and stability in Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
Earlier, India had contributed USD 4 million to African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). India’s Permanent Mission to the UN noted in a press release, “India recognizes the important role being played by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in providing an enabling security environment in Somalia, and in containing the terrorism perpetrated by Al-Shabaab.” Permanent Mission of India to the UN in a tweet stated, “Today, on behalf of the Government of #India, Ambassador @ruchirakamboj handed over a cheque of US$ 2 million in favour of the @_AfricanUnion Mission in Somalia. India stands committed to building peace and stability in Africa.”
According to the release, India as an elected member of the UN Security Council has engaged constructively to ensure the smooth transition from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to ATMIS in line with the security requirements of Somalia.
India stressed that the timely and phased handover of security responsibilities from ATMIS to the Somali Security forces will be important and will need to be calibrated to avert security gaps. India also lauded the ATMIS troops and police contributing countries for their sustained commitment and the sacrifices they have made over the years.
India’s Permanent Mission to the UN stated further that New Delhi was a “steadfast supporter” of AMISOM and involved in peacekeeping in Somalia for more than 30 years. Furthermore, it said, India continues to support African Union and the UN in responding to terrorism and building peace and stability in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa.
Also, in the release, India’s Permanent Mission to the UN said, “ATMIS was established on 1 April 2022 pursuant to the Security Council resolution 2628 (2022) and African Union Peace and Security Council Communique 1068th of 8 March 2022 to support the implementation of the Somali Transitional Plan towards a full handover of security responsibility to the Somali security forces and institutions by the end 2024.” It further said that the primary role of ATMIS is to reduce the threat posed by the terrorist group Al-Shabaad. (ANI)
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