By Manish Chand
Abuja, (IANS) India and Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and most populous nation, are set to take their ties to a new level by signing four pacts in diverse areas including defence cooperation and firm up an agenda for closer energy partnership.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began talks with Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua on a range of bilateral and global issues including energy security, UN reforms, multilateral trade talks and terrorism.
The four agreements will be signed later in the day.
India’s Foreign Service Institute and the Nigerian Foreign Service Academy will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The Indian Council for World Affairs and the Nigerian Institute for World Affairs will sign another MoU.
A protocol on foreign office consultations and another on defence cooperation too will be signed.
Manmohan Singh began a historic three-day visit to Nigeria Sunday – the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 45 years.
The two countries will firm up an all-embracing agenda for closer energy and economic partnership that could include new oil exploration blocks and infrastructure deals as well as a roadmap for diversifying relations between them.
The focus will be on improving connectivity and enhancing bilateral trade, which is currently estimated to be around $8 billion.
The next six months are going to be crucial in taking India-Nigeria relations to a qualitatively new level, an official source told IANS.
Over the next six months, agreements on double taxation avoidance agreement and bilateral investment and protection will be finalised and signed between the two countries.
A trade agreement and another pact on bilateral air service agreement are also likely to be finalised by April next year.
An extradition treaty and an agreement on science and technology will be ready over the next six months.