African Parliamentarians Call For Stronger India-Africa Ties

March 13, 2014

New Delhi: Facilitated by the Ministry of External Affairs, a nine member delegation of young parliamentarians from Algeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, South Sudan and Uganda visited the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses for an interaction with IDSA experts on March 13, 2014. Speaking to the delegation, Director General IDSA, Dr Arvind Gupta explained the manner in which the think tank brings together academicians, policy-makers, military personnel, diplomats and technical experts on various issues of national and international security to suggest policy options to the Government of India.

During the deliberations, the delegates raised questions regarding the role of the military and their training in a democratic set up. They sought Indian help in building the capacities of their militaries. The delegates were also interested in the role of women in the armed forces and politics in India. Ms Ruchita Beri, who specializes on issues of Africa, emphasised the unique consultative nature of India-Africa relationship and elaborated on the scope for further cooperation in the areas of energy infrastructure development and counter-terrorism.

The interaction highlighted the need to build on the strong historical ties between India and Africa for their mutual benefit in multiple spheres, such as, political, economic, security, science and technology.