External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at a two-day summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala beginning Friday.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), announcing Jaishankar’s two-nation visit to Uganda and Nigeria, said India remains committed to the principles and values of the NAM movement as one of the leading and founding members of the grouping.
The NAM Summit under the leadership of Uganda brings together more than 120 developing countries on a platform of crucial historic significance
Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan will represent India at the ‘G-77 Third South Summit’ to be in Kampala on January 21 and 22. “External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation at the 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement to be held in Kampala on January 19 to 20,” the MEA said.
The theme of the summit is ‘Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence’, and it will be preceded by deliberations at the ministerial and senior officials levels. Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh is representing India at the NAM foreign ministers’ meeting.
“India wholeheartedly supports Uganda’s theme for NAM and looks forward to engaging with the NAM under Uganda’s leadership. As one of the leading and founding members of NAM, India remains committed to the principles and values of the movement,” the MEA said in a statement. On the sidelines of the NAM Summit, Jaishankar is expected to meet with the Ugandan leadership and counterparts from several other NAM member states.
From Kampala, the external affairs minister will travel to Nigeria for a three-day visit from January 21. He will co-chair the sixth India-Nigeria Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart and meet with other leaders.
Jaishankar will also inaugurate the third edition of Nigeria-India business council meeting, deliver a speech at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, interact with business delegates and inaugurate a bust of Mahatma Gandhi. The MEA said he will also chair the regional conference of Indian heads of missions.
“India and Nigeria have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations. This is the external affairs minister’s first visit to Nigeria which will further consolidate bilateral relations between the two countries,” the MEA said.
