May 17, 2011
Serious threats posed by terrorism and piracy will be high on the agenda of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during talks with African leaders on his six-day visit to Ethiopia and Tanzania next week.
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| Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (PPI) |
Singh, who leaves on May 23 for Addis Ababa, the seat of the African Union (AU), will discuss the twin challenges during the Second Africa-India Forum Summit to be attended by 15 African countries.
Like India, Africa too feels the adverse impact of terrorism and piracy is a phenomenon that affects both Africa and India and the leaders will discuss “ways and means of reducing and eliminating it,” Vivek Katju, Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, told reporters here.
New Delhi has voiced its serious concerns over the threats posed by Somali pirates since about 11 per cent of seafarers engaged by international shipping companies are Indian nationals, some of whom have been taken hostages.
There have been over 200 attacks, including about 70 successful hijackings and ransoms believed to exceed 50 million dollars have been paid to the pirates for securing the release of hostages and ships.
Dr. Singh will co-chair the Summit with the President of Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in his current capacity as chairperson of the AU.
The leaders will discuss significant aspects of the India-Africa partnership with the objective of enhancing its and widening its ambit for mutual benefit, Mr. Katju said. Read more...
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