Vice President goes on tour of Gabon, Senegal and Qatar

Hyderabad: Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu has embarked on a three-nation tour of Gabon, Senegal and Qatar from May 30 to June 7. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation including Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Bharati Pravin Pawar and three Members of Parliament, Sushil Kumar Modi (Rajya Sabha), Vijay Pal Singh Tomar (Rajya Sabha) and P Ravindranath (Lok Sabha). It is expected that a number of bilateral documents will be concluded with the three countries.

While Shri Naidu's visit will be the first by any Vice President to all the three countries, the visit marks the first-ever high level visit from India to Gabon and Senegal. His visit is expected to add momentum to India's engagement with Africa and emphasise India's commitment to the African continent.

The Vice President's visit to Qatar gains prominence as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The visit is expected to further boost the bilateral ties between the countries.

Naidu will begin his tour with Gabon from May 30 to June 1. In Gabon, he will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister of Gabon Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, call on President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba and meet other dignitaries. He is also expected to interact with the business community in Gabon and address the Indian diaspora there.

Visiting Senegal from June 1 to 3, Naidu will hold delegation-level talks with President of Senegal Macky Sall, meet President of the National Assembly Moustapha Niasse, and other dignitaries. It is notable that India and Senegal are celebrating the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. The Vice President is also expected to attend a business roundtable and address the Indian community.

The last leg of the tour will be the visit to Qatar from June 4 to 7. During the visit, Shri Naidu will hold delegation-level talks with Qatar's Deputy Amir, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Thani, and review bilateral cooperation. He will also meet several other Qatari dignitaries during this visit and address a business roundtable in Qatar.