"Developmental relations between India and Sierra Leone on rise": Sujan Chinoy
Lome [Togo], May 28 (ANI): India's former Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sujan Chinoy on Wednesday stated that the developmental ties and trade between India and Sierra Leone are on the rise.
He further added that there is also scope to enhance the developmental ties between Sierra Leone and India because of the diversity of minerals in the former.
'Relations between India and Sierra Leone are very good. We have opened an embassy in Sierra Leone in 2020. But our diplomatic relations go back to 1961 when they achieved independence. Sierra Leone is a very important country, it's currently a non-permanent member of the UNSC. Our trade and other developmental ties are on the rise. We have about roughly 80-100 million US Dollars worth of bilateral trade...' Chinoy told ANI.
'But there is scope to enhance this because Sierra Leone is rich in minerals. We should encourage our mining countries also to take a fresh look at Sierra Leone. We also have a very large number of lines of credit worth roughly USD 250 Million that have been extended to Sierra Leone. We also have a very active ITEC program plus ICCR scholarships that are available to people from Sierra Leone for capacity building,' he further added.
All-party delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde on Wednesday while en route to Sierra Leone halted in Lome for transit and held discussions on Pakistan-based terrorism and Operation Sindoor.
Chinoy further stated that the all-party delegation led by Shrikant Shinde managed to get high-level meetings and effectively conveyed the country's point of view on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
'So far the all-party MPs delegation has covered the UAE as well as the Demoratic Republic of Congo. In both these places, the delegation headed by Shrikant Shinde has managed to get high level meetings and very effectively conveyed our point of view on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and the need for the international community to come together to fight this challenge,' he further added.
BJD MP Sasmit Patra said that the delegation had a wonderful experience while commuting through Sierra Leone, further adding that the opportunity was used to engage and was a fruitful experience.
'It has been a very good experience. Presently, we are in Lome in Togo where we are transiting from Kinshasa, Congo, going onto Freetown of Sierra Leone. While we are transiting, we have had a tremendous opportunity to interact as well, get ourselves briefed, get ourselves ready. And even during transit, it has been a learning experience to exchange notes in terms of the upcoming leg, the third State that we are going to, especially Sierra Leone - considering that it has got a relevance in the UNSC. It is an OIC state, therefore it is a wonderful experience as we commute, as we transit, in these lounges we also use this opportunity to engage, interact and it has been a very fruitful experience,' Patra told ANI. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
14 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi must underline for Washington the grave dangers of Asim Munir's vision of Pakistan
In 2018, in his first term, US President Donald Trump had spelt out, in his typically blunt style, the sense that Rawalpindi and Islamabad had taken advantage of Washington: 'The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools… they give safe haven to terrorists'. This week, he said: 'I love Pakistan'. It would be simplistic to view the unprecedented lunch meeting at the White House between Trump and General Asim Munir — the first time a military leader who is not head of state in Pakistan has been accorded the honour — as a major u-turn. Indeed, India-US ties have been steadily deepening over the last three decades, based on a convergence of economic and strategic interests and shared values, even as the US-Pakistan relationship has grown more volatile. That said, the current moment in international relations is one of flux and Delhi must tread carefully. The Pahalgam attack underscored the grave national security threat that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism continues to present for India. With Operation Sindoor, Delhi has made it clear to both Rawalpindi and the world that it will pierce the shield of 'proxies' and not give in to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail. India has raised the costs of terror in order to ensure that such attacks on its soil are not carried out with impunity. Communicating the new normal it has etched with Pakistan after Pahalgam to its friends abroad is Delhi's challenge. To be sure, Delhi cannot control who Trump chooses to engage, and for what reasons. Pakistan's geography — it shares a 900-km border with Iran — may make it an attractive tactical partner for the US in the current Israel-Iran war. There is speculation that Pakistan's rolling out the red carpet for the privately-owned US cryptocurrency firm, World Liberty Financial (WLF), may have helped ingratiate Munir to the White House — Donald Trump Jr has close ties with WLF. A White House spokesperson has claimed that Munir has proposed Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his self-proclaimed role — firmly denied by India — in the post Op Sindoor cessation of hostilities. For India, though, the question is less why the Munir-Trump meeting, and more about how to ensure that the red lines it has laid down are respected, including by the US. Just a fortnight before terrorists killed 26 people in Pahalgam after confirming their religion, Munir had reiterated some of the nastiest tropes of the two-nation theory. He called Kashmir Pakistan's 'jugular vein', and reduced the complex and layered identities of the Subcontinent's people to their religion. It is now for Delhi — diplomatically, through the appropriate channels — to remind Washington that Pakistan's Field Marshal is a fundamentalist with an army at his disposal. Delhi has done well so far in standing its ground and making it clear that it will not compromise on its national interest: Even if belatedly, it issued a clear denial of President Trump's claims about mediating the ceasefire. Now, it must underline for Washington the danger that Munir's vision of Pakistan poses for stability in the region and for global order — and why Delhi has drawn some hard red lines.
Economic Times
30 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Indian defence delegation meets French officials in Paris; Rafale marine programme formally launched
ANI Indian defence delegation meets French officials in Paris; Rafale marine programme formally launched An Indian defence delegation led by Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager (Maritime Systems) Dinesh Kumar met with French defence officials at the Paris Air Show on Thursday. The French side was headed by Lt Gen Gael Diaz De Tuesta, Director General of Armament. According to French defence officials, the meeting between the two sides also marked the formal launch of the Rafale marine programme, which already equips the Indian Air Force. Meanwhile, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi on Thursday attended the 12th Key Leader Engagement, which was hosted virtually by US Navy's Pacific fleet Admiral Stephen T. Koehler. Admiral Tripathi highlighted his vision on "achieving maritime security in the Indo-Pacific through innovation and technology" in the Key Leader Engagement on Wednesday, which involved 19 nations. The Indian Navy, in a post on X, said, "Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, attended the 12th Key Leader Engagement hosted virtually by Adm Stephen T Koehler, @USPacificFleet, on Jun 25, involving 19 nations. CNS highlighted his vision on 'Achieving Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific Through Innovation and Technology."Earlier, on June 13, Admiral Tripathi said that Operation Sindoor is on a pause, but it is an operation in progress. Speaking to ANI, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi said, "Operation Sindoor is under pause; it is still underway. As a naval chief, I will reserve my comments on this. It's an operation in progress." He also commented on evolving warfare technology, particularly non-contact warfare and counter-drone systems, underscoring their growing importance. On counter-drone systems, he said that non-contact warfare will stay, and this area of weapons and equipment was not catered to 10-12 years ago. "It is undeniable that non-contact warfare is going to stay. In it, drones and loitering munitions, and therefore defence against them in terms of counter-drone systems, there is a whole series of weapons and equipment that one had probably not catered for 10-12 years ago," he said on Thursday. Reinforcing the focus on indigenous defence capabilities, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, accompanied by Chairman of Solar Industries India Limited, Satyanarayan Nuwal, reviewed the manufacturing processes of various defence products at the firm's headquarters in Nagpur. Speaking to ANI, the Navy Chief lauded the products and progress made by Solar Industries India Ltd. He added that there needs to be synergy between the public and private sectors, as the latter is new in defence production."It's really eye-opening to see what progress has been made by Solar (Solar Group) in the last 14-15 years. As far as the synergy between the public and private sectors in the defence ecosystem is concerned, it is a must because some public sector companies have been working in this field for many decades, and private companies are relatively new. So there is a need for them to talk to each other and learn from each other," Admiral Tripathi told of Solar Industries India Ltd, Satyanarayan Nuwal, said that they showed the Navy Chief their drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and also showed the Navy officials their Counter-Unmanned Aerial System, Bhargavastra. Talking to ANI, Satyanarayan Nuwal said, "Today, we mainly showed our facility with drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). We showed the composite manufacturing unit of UAS. We also showed Bhargavastra (Counter-Unmanned Aerial System) to them... This counter-drone system is a significant thing... Considering present situations, we learnt that the biggest need is for long-range missiles. We have already presented a proposal in this regard..." (ANI)
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Indian defence delegation meets French officials in Paris; Rafale marine programme formally launched
An Indian defence delegation met with French officials at the Paris Air Show, formally launching the Rafale marine programme. Simultaneously, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi attended a US Navy-hosted Key Leader Engagement, advocating for maritime security through innovation. He also reviewed indigenous defence manufacturing at Solar Industries, emphasizing public-private synergy and the growing importance of counter-drone systems. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads An Indian defence delegation led by Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager (Maritime Systems) Dinesh Kumar met with French defence officials at the Paris Air Show on French side was headed by Lt Gen Gael Diaz De Tuesta, Director General of to French defence officials, the meeting between the two sides also marked the formal launch of the Rafale marine programme , which already equips the Indian Air Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi on Thursday attended the 12th Key Leader Engagement, which was hosted virtually by US Navy's Pacific fleet Admiral Stephen T. Tripathi highlighted his vision on "achieving maritime security in the Indo-Pacific through innovation and technology" in the Key Leader Engagement on Wednesday, which involved 19 Indian Navy , in a post on X, said, "Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, attended the 12th Key Leader Engagement hosted virtually by Adm Stephen T Koehler, @USPacificFleet, on Jun 25, involving 19 nations. CNS highlighted his vision on 'Achieving Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific Through Innovation and Technology."Earlier, on June 13, Admiral Tripathi said that Operation Sindoor is on a pause, but it is an operation in to ANI, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi said, "Operation Sindoor is under pause; it is still underway. As a naval chief, I will reserve my comments on this. It's an operation in progress."He also commented on evolving warfare technology, particularly non-contact warfare and counter-drone systems, underscoring their growing counter-drone systems, he said that non-contact warfare will stay, and this area of weapons and equipment was not catered to 10-12 years ago."It is undeniable that non-contact warfare is going to stay. In it, drones and loitering munitions, and therefore defence against them in terms of counter-drone systems, there is a whole series of weapons and equipment that one had probably not catered for 10-12 years ago," he said on the focus on indigenous defence capabilities, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, accompanied by Chairman of Solar Industries India Limited , Satyanarayan Nuwal, reviewed the manufacturing processes of various defence products at the firm's headquarters in to ANI, the Navy Chief lauded the products and progress made by Solar Industries India Ltd. He added that there needs to be synergy between the public and private sectors, as the latter is new in defence production."It's really eye-opening to see what progress has been made by Solar (Solar Group) in the last 14-15 years. As far as the synergy between the public and private sectors in the defence ecosystem is concerned, it is a must because some public sector companies have been working in this field for many decades, and private companies are relatively new. So there is a need for them to talk to each other and learn from each other," Admiral Tripathi told of Solar Industries India Ltd, Satyanarayan Nuwal, said that they showed the Navy Chief their drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and also showed the Navy officials their Counter-Unmanned Aerial System, to ANI, Satyanarayan Nuwal said, "Today, we mainly showed our facility with drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). We showed the composite manufacturing unit of UAS. We also showed Bhargavastra (Counter-Unmanned Aerial System) to them... This counter-drone system is a significant thing... Considering present situations, we learnt that the biggest need is for long-range missiles. We have already presented a proposal in this regard..." (ANI)
