Jaishankar deepens India's West Africa ties in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana

S Jaishankar held talks in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana on defence, trade and development cooperation. The outreach coincided with India's renewed push at the UN against Pakistan over terrorism.

In Short

• Ghana joined the International Big Cat Alliance after submitting acceptance to India
• Pakistan said its troops in Saudi Arabia were serving across multiple roles
• The IMF reached a preliminary deal that may unlock fresh Pakistan funding

India widened its diplomatic engagement in West Africa as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana on defence, trade, development and environmental cooperation. At the same time, India used the United Nations platform to sharpen its attack on Pakistan over terrorism.

In other developments, Pakistan reported movement on security, economic and political fronts, Bangladesh said its water-sharing issues with India should be resolved through talks, China confirmed its nominee for the top WHO post, and India joined 13 other countries in seeking coordinated action against excess industrial production.

In Abidjan, India and Cote d'Ivoire discussed ways to expand cooperation in defence and anti-terrorism, trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture and healthcare. Jaishankar described Cote d'Ivoire as one of India's "key partners" in Western Africa.

In Accra, Jaishankar said India and Ghana had been historical partners and champions of the Global South. He said both countries had similar programmes such as Accra Reset and Ayushman Bharat, and added that the challenges faced by the developing world were comparable.

Jaishankar also received Ghana's "Instrument of Acceptance" for the India-led International Big Cat Alliance, formally making the West African country a member of the alliance.

At the United Nations, India accused Pakistan of doublespeak on terrorism and said Islamabad was trying to gloss over its state support for terror by announcing rewards for Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. India said the world had not forgotten the 9/11, 26/11 and Pahalgam attacks.

In Islamabad, a senior Pakistan Army general confirmed that Pakistani troops were present in Saudi Arabia and said they were carrying out duties in "multiple capabilities" and "domains". The statement came amid increasing attacks on the Gulf kingdom by Yemen's Houthis.

Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that 25 terrorist organisations were operating in Afghanistan, according to a government statement. He called for international cooperation to tackle the threat amid tensions with Kabul.

In another development in Pakistan, the Peshawar High Court sought a response from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to a petition alleging that government resources were being used for political activities, including the ongoing long march by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

Pakistan also received some relief on the economic front, with the IMF reaching a preliminary agreement that could release about USD 1.2 billion in new funding to the country.

In Washington, India and 13 other countries called for coordinated global action to curb excess industrial production that distorts markets, hurts domestic industries and contributes to an imbalance between supply and demand.

In Dhaka, a junior Bangladesh minister said the long-standing water-sharing issues between Bangladesh and India must be settled through dialogue and diplomacy.

In Beijing, China confirmed that it had nominated a senior public health official for the post of Director-General of the World Health Organization.

The developments together spanned India's outreach in West Africa, its position on terrorism at the UN, and parallel political, security and economic moves across Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and other countries.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends