New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visit to Namibia, the first since Namibian President Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah assumed office, is a significant step towards renewing the bilateral ties and deepening economic engagement between both nations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday

This will be the first visit of Prime Minister Modi to Namibia, and the third-ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to Namibia.

This is also the first bilateral State Visit that Nandi-Ndaitwah is hosting after taking over as the President of Namibia in March. PM Modi’s July 9 visit, happening so early in the Namibian leader’s tenure, would be very useful in renewing the relationship besides deepening economic engagement, the MEA stated.

Namibia will be the final leg of PM Modi’s five-nation visit after Ghana (July 2-3), Trinidad and Tobago (July 3-4), Argentina (July 4-5) and Brazil (July 5-8).

During his visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral talks with President Nandi-Ndaitwah and also pay homage to the Founding Father and first President of Namibia, Late Dr. Sam Nujoma. He is also expected to deliver an address at the Parliament of Namibia.

“The bilateral relations are wide-ranging. The trade is $600 million, marginally in favour of India. The investments are $800 million, mostly in mineral resources like zinc and diamond processing,” said the MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi while addressing a press briefing in New Delhi on Monday.

India and Namibia have strong historical linkages with New Delhi recognising the South West African country much before it attained independence in 1990.

India raised the matter of Namibia, formerly known as ‘South West Africa’, at the first United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1946. India also allowed Namibia to establish its first-ever diplomatic mission in 1986 in New Delhi.

The MEA highlighted that India had taken a few cheetahs from Namibia and relocated them to the Kuno National Park, adding that the phase has been very successfully implemented.

Additionally, the Unified Payments interoperability technology agreement, an important part in the development of the relationship, has been signed between the Central Bank of Namibia and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and will be taken forward during PM Modi’s visit.

“Namibia is rich in natural resources and minerals. It has natural resources of uranium, copper, cobalt, rare earths in large numbers, lithium, graphite, tantalum, all these are of interest to us. In recent times Namibia has also discovered new oil fields. There will be broad understanding on partnership for hydrocarbons. Namibia is also keen to engage with India in agriculture and pharma,” Secretary Ravi stated.

The visit of the Prime Minister, he said, is a reiteration of India’s multi-faceted and deep-rooted historical ties with Namibia.

India and Namibia enjoy a very warm relationship and share a wide range of areas for cooperation, including in the domains of environment and biodiversity, trade and investments, mining, diamond processing, energy, healthcare, defence, agriculture, capacity building and education. PM Modi’s visit is expected to further deepen and strengthen bilateral relations between two vibrant democracies.

–IANS

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