New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj will be visiting Tanzania and South Africa on March 28-31, with the agenda of furthering bilateral ties between India and the African nations.
Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin shared Swaraj's itinerary.
"During her visit to Tanzania, the EAM will interact with her counterpart as well as meeting senior officials there. She will also explore opportunities to expand our beneficial economic ties. India and Tanzania have an annual trade turnover of USD four billion. Developmental aspects will also be discussed during this visit. Around 50,000 people of Indian origin or Indian nationals live in Tanzania," he told the media.
"In South Africa, apart from bilateral meetings, the EAM will co-chair the joint commission between India and South Africa as well as a tripartite meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa. She will also pay homage at various sites related to Mahatma Gandhi in Johannesburg, apart from meeting senior leaders in South Africa. India and South Africa have an annual trade turnover of USD 11 billion. South Africa is also the second largest trade partner for South Africa after Nigeria," he added.
Swaraj will first travel to Tanzania on March 28, before flying to South Africa in the latter hours of March 29.
This is the first visit of an Indian EAM to Tanzania since 2003 and the first high-level official visit to the East African nation since former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh's trip to Dodoma in 2011.
