Both sides have expressed satisfaction over the growth in bilateral trade

India and Tanzania reviewed various facets of their bilateral ties at the second round of Foreign Office Consultations held in New Delhi on Thursday.

The consultations reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including political, economic, trade & investment, defence, cultural, people to people, and other areas of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Multilateral and regional issues including co-operation in UN, East Africa Community (EAC), South African Development Cooperation (SADC) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) were also discussed, the MEA added.

According to the MEA, both sides expressed satisfaction over the growth in bilateral trade, which touched USD 4.5 billion for 2021-22. India is one of Tanzania’s biggest trading partners and among the top investors in Tanzania.

Both sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various sectors and explore possibilities of investment in health, education, port development and agriculture sector.

Tanzania is also a major development partner of India and India has extended 6 lines of Credit worth over USD 1.1 billion to Tanzania, especially in the sector of city water supply and management. Indian side reiterated its commitment to continue the development partnership with Tanzania through loans, grants and other mechanisms, the MEA said.

According to the MEA, India and Tanzania agreed to continue high level political exchanges and regular meetings of the joint institutional mechanisms to keep the partnership vibrant and mutually beneficial.

Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Consultations at a mutually convenient date in Dar es Salaam.

The discussions were led on the Indian side by Puneet R Kundal, Joint Secretary (E&SA), Ministry of External Affairs and on the Tanzanian side by Amb. Caesar C. Waitara, Director (Asia & Australasia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania.