Pranab Mukherjee leaves for Ethiopia

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee left for Ethiopia on a four-day visit today to strengthen and diversify bilateral relations between the two countries.

New Delhi, July 3 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee left for Ethiopia on a four-day visit today to strengthen and diversify bilateral relations between the two countries.

This is Mukherjee's first trip to an African country since he became Foreign Minister.

India and Ethiopia will sign three pacts, one on establishing a joint ministerial committee, second on a protocol on foreign office consultations and third on a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection (BIPA) to improve economic ties.

During his visit, Mukherjee will meet his Ethiopian counterpart Seyoum Mesfin and will also call on President Woldegiorgis Girma, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and senior cabinet ministers of Ethiopia.

Besides, he will also hold discussion with African Union Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare in the backdrop of New Delhi's interest to have support from the 53-nation bloc for its bid for permanent membership of the expanded Security Council.

As a special gesture, he will also address the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Ethiopian Parliament.

Ethiopia is home to the headquarters of the African Union (AU) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

Mukherjee will also inaugurate the pilot projects of the tele-education and tele-medicine components of the Pan-African e-network project that aims at bridging digital divide among 53 countries of the African continent.

The External Affairs Minister will also visit Addis Ababa where he will hold a conference of Indian Heads of Missions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The visit of Mukherjee will provide India with an opportunity to galvanise its age-old ties with Africa, the emerging hub of global oil industry.

ANI