By IANS
New Delhi : India and Ethiopia, Africa's second largest country, Thursday signed five pacts to intensify their relations as Addis Ababa came out strongly in support of India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
The agreements were signed in the presence of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is currently on a four-day visit to Ethiopia, and his Ethiopian counterpart Seyoum Mesfin.
Three agreements were signed on bilateral investment protection, establishment of a joint ministerial committee and foreign office consultations between the two countries.
Two more pacts were signed in the area of science and technology and education, said an external affairs ministry statement here.
Mesfin reiterated Ethiopia's "strong support" for a permanent seat for India in the United Nations Security Council. Muherjee, on his part, thanked Mesfin for Ethiopia's steadfast approach and conveyed India's support for the demand of Africa for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
The minister will launch pilot projects of India's dream project in Africa – the Pan-African e-network being built with Indian funds and technical assistance – that will bring benefits of tele-education and tele-medicine to the entire African continent.