Amb.Tuggar lauds Nigeria-India multifaceted cooperation
By Ahmed Ahmed
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar has hosted the sixth Nigeria – India Joint Commission Meeting on the 22nd January 2024.
This is contained in a statement issued by Alkasim Abdulkadir, Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs and made available to Journalists on Tuesday.
The statement said the meeting was held during the official visit of the Minister of External Affairs of India, H.E S. Jaishankar to Nigeria from 21st – 23rd January 2024.
“The Commission reviewed the decisions of the 5th Joint Commission and also the entire scope of bilateral relations between India and Nigeria. They emphasised the significance of the Sixth Session as the continuation of the era of meaningful and expanding economic interaction between the two countries.
“The bilateral meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja covered a wide range of sectors from Political, Culture, Aviation, Trade and Investment, Developmental Partnership, Defense and Security Cooperation to Consular Matters and Regional issues and Multilateral Cooperation
“The meeting culminated in the signing of an MoU on Cooperation on Renewable Energy. The agreement seeks to focus on development of new and renewable energy technologies like Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Biomass/ Bio-energy, Small Hydro and Capacity building, it said
According to the statement, in a parley with the press, after signing the MoU, Tuggar stated that Jaishanka had earlier visited Lagos where he held productive meetings with the India-Nigeria Business Forum and addressed the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos on India and the Global South.
“We had very fruitful deliberations at the 6th joint commission between Nigeria and India, several issues were discussed as regards different sectors ranging from economy, trade, consular issues, culture and aviation. I have to say that the meeting was very fruitful and rich” Tuggar said
“You know that Nigeria and India have a lot in common, we are two largest democracies on the continent of Africa and Asia, we are the most populous and we have a strong bond and we have been friends for a long time, our relationship will continue to grow stronger” it further added.
Responding to the press at the parley, Jaishankar said, “India and Nigeria share a long-standing and friendly relationship which is rooted in history. We are the largest democracies of the world and leaders in our continents. In recent years, this has been renewed by contacts between our leaderships”.
India is one of the top economic partners of Nigeria, with investments estimated at about 27 billion US Dollars and an annual trade turnover estimated at between 13-15 Billion US Dollars.
The next meeting (7th) of the Nigeria-India Joint Commission will be held in India.