By IANS
New Delhi : India’s “time-tested ties” with Africa are poised to move into the fast lane with New Delhi planning to host the first summit with the African Union in April next year and provide duty-free access to products from least developed countries of the continent.
“We expect to hold the India-Africa Forum summit in India in April,” External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday while stressing “civilizational, time-tested and unique” ties between the two sides.
“India is a dialogue partner of the African Union and will closely follow this evolving and step-by-step process. We will support all efforts that will bring sustainable peace, progress and stability in all the countries of Africa,” he said.
Mukherjee was delivering the inaugural Dharam Pal Memorial Lecture, named after the eminent Africa specialist, on ‘India and Africa: Strong Bonds and Future Prospects’ at the India Habitat Centre. The lecture was organised by the Indian Society for Afro-Asian Studies and the Observer Research Foundation.
The minister also made a strong pitch for including India and Africa in an expanded UN Security Council.
“The aims and aspirations of developing countries like India and those of Africa will not be realised until institutions such as the UN, particularly the UNSC, are democratised,” he stressed.
“A majority of countries of Africa support India’s claim to the permanent membership of UNSC. We were touched by the words of a visiting African minister who stated, ‘when you are there, we are there’,” he said.
“India has made it abundantly clear that the expansion of the UNSC will not be complete without representation from Africa, including in the permanent category,” he said.
Alluding to burgeoning trade relations between India and African countries, Mukherjee said the cabinet has already approved the draft framework agreement with the Southern African Customs Union for a preferential trade agreement.
India’s trade with African countries jumped from $5,493 million in 2001-02 to $11,822 million in 2005-06. It further increased sharply to $18,538 million during April 2006-January 2007.
Placing India’s ties with Africa in broader perspective, Mukherjee referred to the modern times where trade and technology are the key areas of cooperation.
“Cost-effective and intermediate technologies and our large human capital base gives us a unique advantage in areas of human resource development and capacity building,” he said.
He also spoke about the Pan African e-network, being funded and built by India that will bridge the digital divide among 53 countries of the continent. During his visit to Ethiopia last month, Mukherje inaugurated pilot projects of the e-network relating to tele-education and tele-medicine.
“This has, therefore, been a principal focus of our approach and Africa is today the largest recipient of India’s Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme with an outlay of over a billion dollars,” the minister stressed.
Underscoring “special ties” between the two sides in the globalising world, the minister said: “The bonds that tie India and Africa are civlisational, time-tested and in a manner of speaking unique. We are now in the process of adjusting these bonds to meet the changing needs of our societies in the face of the faster pace of globalisation.
“Our partnership is based on trust, mutual respect and the fulfilment of common objectives. It is a recipe for success.”