PM: India to open 18 new embassies across Africa
Kampala, July 25: India will open 18 new embassies across Africa, Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi told Uganda’s Parliament on Wednesday during a charm- offensive tour of the continent.
Rounding off a two- day visit to Kampala, Mr Modi also announced the donation of a badlyneeded cancer therapy machine and loans worth $ 200 million for infrastructure and environmental projects.
India, the world’s most populous democracy, is vying for influence in Africa with its regional competitor China which has aggressively developed trade, financial and diplomatic ties on the continent.
India currently has 29 full diplomatic missions in Africa, according to Delhi, compared to China which has 50.
It hopes to open its new missions within three years, according to an Indian official who did not confirm which countries would receive envoys.
Mr Modi also praised
India and Bhutan are increasing cooperation in fighting economic and conventional crime to ensure checking cross border crime and apprehending fugitives.
According to sources a six- member delegation of Anti- Corruption Commission of Bhutan, which shares 699 km border with India along sensitive North East region, is on a visit to the CBI between July 23 to July 27. The delegation is headed by Aum Kinley Yangzom, Chairperson, ACC, Bhutan.
The visit is a part of exchange programme to enhance cooperation between the two countries in fighting economic and conventional crime and help in capacity building, sources in the CBI said. They further said the visit is also a part of the CBI to forge organisation- to- organisation ties with other international agencies to ensure better cooperation in checking cross border crime and apprehending fugitives.