Jaishankar boosts India-Cote d'Ivoire defence and anti-terror cooperation

S Jaishankar held talks in Abidjan on defence, anti-terrorism and broader bilateral cooperation with Cote d'Ivoire leaders. The visit underlines India's drive to deepen African partnerships and strengthen Global South solidarity.

In Short

• Jaishankar met Cote d'Ivoire's defence minister to discuss training and security cooperation
• Talks with Niale Kaba covered trade, investment, agriculture, healthcare and infrastructure
• India said people-centric cooperation would align with Cote d'Ivoire's national priorities

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks in Cote d'Ivoire on strengthening cooperation in defence and anti-terrorism, along with trade, infrastructure, agriculture and healthcare, during the second leg of his three-nation visit to Africa. The discussions were part of India's wider push to deepen ties with African countries and expand cooperation with the Global South.

During his engagements, Jaishankar met Vice Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tene Birahima Ouattara, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Niale Kaba, Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation alumni, and members of the Indian community. His visit to Cote d'Ivoire follows his stop in Ghana and will be followed by engagements in Ethiopia.

After meeting Ouattara in Abidjan, Jaishankar said, "We spoke about our growing defence partnership, underpinned by mutual trust, capacity building and shared interests." He added, "Exchanged views on opportunities to further our cooperation in defence & anti-terrorism, including through training, capacity building and enhanced institutional exchanges." Ouattara said the discussion "focused on strengthening cooperation between Cote d'Ivoire and India" and added, "This meeting reaffirms our shared commitment to consolidating a strategic partnership in service of peace, security, and development."

Jaishankar also held talks with Kaba on strengthening bilateral ties. He said he had "comprehensive discussions" with her on advancing the India-Cote d'Ivoire partnership, "including in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and people-to-people ties". He added, "Underlined that our people-centric cooperation will be driven by the priorities of Cote d'Ivoire." He also said the two sides discussed deepening engagement in multilateral fora.

During the visit, Jaishankar interacted with ITEC alumni from Cote d'Ivoire and said India's capacity-building initiatives were responding to the demands and priorities of partner countries while also building human links between the two societies. He also met members of the Indian community and said, "Spoke about the many transformations in India under the vision and leadership of Prime Minister @narendramodi." He also spoke about action on the African Union's permanent membership during India's G20 presidency.

Jaishankar arrived in Cote d'Ivoire on Wednesday from Ghana, where he had discussed expanding the India-Ghana comprehensive partnership into areas such as pharmaceuticals, health, mining, defence, railways and digital sectors. He is due to travel to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, where he will hold further engagements and chair the Regional Heads of Mission Conference. Ahead of the tour, the Ministry of External Affairs had said the visit reflected India's commitment to deepen its partnership with Africa and strengthen solidarity with the Global South.

With PTI Inputs

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