India, Madagascar join hands to amp up bilateral ties

By Trend

India’s Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros, Abhay Kumar, has called on the Prime Minister of Madagascar Christian Ntsay and took note of the progress made in the bilateral relations between both countries during the past three years, Trend reports citing The Print.

Both of them agreed to further strengthen the ties between India and Madagascar.

“Ambassador Abhay Kumar called on H.E. Christian Ntsay, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Madagascar today. They took note of the progress made in India-Madagascar bilateral relations during the past three years and agreed to further strengthen it,” India in Madagascar & Comoros tweeted on Monday.

India’s policy towards Madagascar is guided by the collaborative maritime vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

Last month, India announced the donation of 5,000 tonnes of rice to the island nation as humanitarian aid to Madagascar.

Prior to that, India had donated 1,000 metric tonnes of rice to Madagascar in March 2021 for the people affected by drought in the south of Madagascar and 600 tonnes of rice in March 2020 for the flood victims in the north of Madagascar.

India had also announced the donation of 15,000 bicycles to Madagascar on June 3, 2022, on the occasion of World Bicycle Day.

Madagascar joined the India-led Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in April 2022 and had earlier supported India joining the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) as an observer in March 2020 and the Djibouti Code of Conduct in August 2020.

Minister of National Defence of Madagascar, Lt. General Rakotonirina Leon Jean Richard led a 4-member delegation to participate in Aero India 2021 and Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ Conclave in Bengaluru from February 3-5, 2021.

During the visit, the Malagasy Defence Minister held a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed steps for furthering defence cooperation between the two countries.

Ten diplomats from Madagascar participated in the 1st Special Course for Diplomats in the Indian Ocean Region from September 19 to October 2, 2021, organised by the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.