India announces $200 million defence credit line for Angola's armed forces

India and Angola have decided to boost their defence cooperation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering 200 million worth of lines of credit in defence during the visit of Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco Briefing reporters about the visit Secretary Economic Relations Dammu Ravi said defence is another area of cooperation that has attracted a lot of attentionDuring this visit the Prime Minister has offered 200 million dollars worth of lines of credit defence line of credit in Indian rupees They will be sourcing defence equipment from India Already they are in touch with the private companies and also public sector companies for various items to be sourced from India he saidImportant aspect is there is a commonality They have a large number of Soviet equipment defence equipment which needs to be serviced overhauled and do the maintenance So in the days to come both sides will be engaging expertlevel interactions as to how to take forward this particular cooperation he addedPM Modi had delegationlevel talks with the visiting leader In his remarks during the press statements PM Modi said it is a historic moment and that President of Angola is visiting India after 38 yearsHis visit is not only giving a new direction and momentum to IndiaAngola ties but also strengthening IndiaAfrica partnershipThis year India and Angola are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic relations But our ties are much older and deeper than that When Angola was fighting for its freedom India stood by it with unwavering faith and friendship PM Modi saidToday we have close cooperation in various sectors India is one of the largest buyers of Angolas oil and gas We have decided to expand our energy partnership I am pleased to announce the approval of a 200 million defence credit line for the modernization of Angolas armed forces We have also discussed the repair and overhaul of defence platforms and supplies India would be glad to cooperate in the training of Angolas armed forces he addedPM Modi said India will share its capabilities with Angola in Digital Public Infrastructure Space Technology and Capacity BuildingToday we have also decided to further strengthen our relations in the sectors of Healthcare Diamond processing fertilizer and Critical minerals The popularity of Yoga and Bollywood in Angola reflects the deep cultural connection between our two countries To strengthen our peopletopeople relations we have decided to start a Youth Exchange Programme among our youth PM Modi saidHe said India welcomes Angolas decision to join the International Solar Alliance We have also invited Angola to join Indias initiatives Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Big Cat Alliance and Global Biofuels Alliance PM Modi said He said both agree that terrorism is the biggest threat to humanityI thanked President Lourenco and the people of Angola for their condolences on the loss of lives in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam We are committed to take firm and decisive action against the terrorists and those who support them We thank Angola for their support in our fight against crossborder terrorism he said PM Modi extend my best wishes to Angola for its chairmanship of the African UnionIt is a matter of great pride for us that the African Union was granted permanent membership of the G20 during Indias G20 presidency India and African countries raised their voices in unison against colonial rule inspiring one another in the process Today we stand united in advocating for the interests hopes expectations and aspirations of the Global South he saidOur cooperation with African countries has gained momentum in the last decade Our mutual trade has reached nearly 100 billion There has been progress on defence cooperation and maritime security he said Last month the first naval maritime exercise between India and Africa AIKEYME was conducted PM Modi said that over the past decade India has established 17 new embassies across AfricaCredit lines worth more than 12 billion have been allocated for Africa Apart from this grant assistance of 700 million has been given to African countries Vocational training centres have been opened in 8 African countries We are collaborating with five African countries in the development of Digital Public Infrastructure In times of disaster we have been privileged to serve as First Responders standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Africa PM Modi saidIndia and the African Union are partners in progress We are pillars of the Global South I am confident that under Angolas leadership the relationship between India and the African Union will reach new heights he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute 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