India-Africa summit opens new vistas of cooperation
New Delhi, Apr 9: President Pratibha Patil has said that India-Africa Forum Summit would open up new vistas of cooperation.
Expressing
her
desire
for
better
and
enhanced
relations
with
Africa,
President
Patil
said,
"I
am
confident
that
this
India-Africa
Forum
Summit
will
open
up
new
vistas
of
cooperation
between
India
and
Africa."The
President
hosted
the
visiting
dignitaries
over
banquet
here
last
evening.
The
two-day
summit,
which
commenced
on
Tuesday,
is
attending
by
heads
of
states
of
14
African
nations,
who
have
been
chosen
by
the
54-nation
African
Union.
Earlier,
Prime
Minister
Dr.
Manmohan
Singh
said
that
India
wished
to
see
the
21st
century
as
the
"Century
of
Asia
and
Africa" with
the
people
of
both
continents
working
together
to
promote
inclusive
globalization.
Dr.
Singh
also
announced
a
Duty
Free
Tariff
Preference
Scheme
for
Least
Developed
Countries
to
mark
a
beginning
in
the
long
history
of
civilisational
contacts,
friendship
and
cooperation
between
India
and
Africa.
He said the transfer of knowledge and human skills would strengthen the mutual capabilities, while the emerging common challenges of food security, energy security, pandemics, terrorism and climate change should have cooperative mechanisms for exchange of views, consultation to work out common strategies for addressing these pressing issues.
ANI