Hamid Ansari on a 5-day visit to Morocco & Tunisia

The Dollar Business Bureau

Vice President Hamid Ansari on Monday left on a five-day visit to two North African countries, Morocco and Tunisia, where he is scheduled to discuss several bilateral issues including bilateral trade and investments.

Ansari would also have discussions on issues related to terrorism, expansion in the UN Security Council and investments in the private sector, along with ways to further enhance India’s outreach to African nations and other regional issues.

The Vice President will visit Morocco from May 30-June 1, at the invitation of Abdelilah Benkirane, Prime Minister of the North African nation.

With this visit, India seeks to boost bilateral as well as economic ties with the two strategically-important North African countries. Various MoUs are expected to be signed in the areas of IT and communication, technology, education, capacity building and cultural exchanges.

The Vice President and Prime Minister of Morocco will jointly launch the India-Morocco Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Rabat, where members of Indian diaspora would also interact with the two world leaders.

Ansari will be in Tunisia from June 2-3, where he will meet Prime Minister Habib Essid and President Beji Caid Essebsi. They are expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral and global affairs during their meeting.

The two North African nations are important, as they share a viable economic relationship and maintain good diplomatic relations with New Delhi.

Ansari may deliver a keynote address to the Tunisian Diplomatic Corps, leading scholars and think tanks at the Tunisian Institute for Strategic Studies. 

In the last 50 years, this is the first visit by a Vice-President of India to the two countries.