Luanda [Angola], November 11 (ANI): President Droupadi Murmu on Monday evening addressed the members of the Indian Community at a Reception hosted by the Ambassador of India to Angola at Luanda.

She was accompanied by Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Railways, V. Somanna and Members of Parliament, Parbhubhai Nagarbhai Vasava and DK Aruna were present on the occasion.

As per an official statement by the President's Secretariat, addressing the enthusiastic gathering of Indian community members, President Murmu said that India greatly values its relationship with its African partners, particularly Angola and called it a partnership that is rooted in equality, mutual trust, and shared aspirations for progress.

She stated that India's engagement with Africa has evolved under the framework of the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) and that India looked forward to hosting the next IAFS Summit soon.

The President said that Angola is an important partner in India's energy security, and India, in turn, is one of Angola's top trade partners. She was happy to note that last year, India-Angola bilateral trade crossed the historic mark of 5 billion US dollars.

The President noted that India is a major supplier of pharmaceuticals, food products, refined petroleum, automobiles, and machinery to Angola. Indian companies are active in diverse sectors such as retail, tourism, diamonds, energy, infrastructure, hospitality, and agriculture. She stated that these investments have contributed to Angola's economic growth and have created employment opportunities, the statement highlighted.

'President Droupadi Murmu addressed the members of Indian Community at a Reception hosted by the Ambassador of India to Angola at Luanda. The President said that India-Angola partnership is rooted in equality, mutual trust, and shared aspirations for progress. She underlined that there are immense opportunities to further strengthen trade, investment, and people-to-people links. She urged the members of Indian community in Angola to take an active part in endeavours to realise shared prosperity of India and Angola.', the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on X.

https://x.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/1987928558397006244?s=20

As per the statement, the President noted that around 8,000 persons of Indian origin live in Angola. She underlined that their entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, and professional excellence have contributed significantly to Angola's economic growth and development. She said that there are immense opportunities to further strengthen trade, investment, and people-to-people links between India and Angola. She urged the members of Indian community in Angola to take an active part in endeavours to realise the shared prosperity of India and Angola. (ANI)