Vice President Naidu arrives in Gabon in first leg of three-nation visit
May 30, 2022
Libreville [Gabon], May 30 : Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday reached Gabon on the first leg of three-nation visit. He will also visit Senegal and Qatar.
He was received by Gabon Prime Minister Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda and Foreign Minister Michael Moussa Adamo in the capital city Libreville.
"A special welcome! Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu was received by Gabonese PM @OssoukaRaponda and FM Michael Moussa-Adamo on his arrival in Libreville, Gabon for the first leg of his 3-country visit," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.
Naidu is on a visit to Gabon, Senegal and Qatar, the first visit from India at the level of Vice President to the three countries.
He is accompanied by a high-level delegation including Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar and three Members of Parliament, Sushil Kumar Modi, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar and P Raveendranath.
In Gabon, the Vice President is scheduled to hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Ossouka Raponda. He will call on the President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba and meet other dignitaries.
He will also interact with the business community in Gabon and address the Indian diaspora.
Gabon is an important partner for India. Both India and Gabon are currently serving as non-permanent members of the UNSC. Bilateral trade reached USD 1.12 billion in 2021-22. A number of Gabonese nationals pursue scholarship/training programmes offered by India under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and ICCR schemes.