India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will visit Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan from January 30 to February 5.
In Morocco, Mr. Khurshid will meet his counterpart Salaheddine Mezouar and other senior officials to discuss means to derive sustainable food security, trade and agriculture.
During his visit to Tunisia, his first as External Affairs Minister, he will meet with his Tunisian counterpart and senior political leaders to discuss ways to enhance the functioning of democracy. Tunisia, which has recently adopted a new constitution, is one of the youngest democracies in the world, and India the largest one.
In Sudan, which is the last leg of his visit, Mr. Khurshid will review bilateral ties, and deliberate on ways to enhance existing trade and investments in the oil industry.
India shares strong economic relations with all three countries. In 2011, bilateral trade between India and Morocco crossed $1 billion. India and Tunisia have signed the Extradition Treaty(2000), Protocol of Cooperation between Diplomatic Institutes (2002) and Agreement in the field of Small and Medium Enterprises (2007), among others. The two nations have also invested in a joint venture named the ‘Tunisia-India Fertilizer SA’ – a $450 million project in Tunisia. India and Sudan have signed about thirty bilateral agreements covering agriculture, air services, among others.