Abu Dhabi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a bilateral meeting with Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina, in Abu Dhabi. PM Modi is on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to inaugurate the BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi today (Wednesday). Yesterday, PM Modi addressed the Indian diaspora at the 'Ahlan Modi' event held in Sheikh Zayed Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
'Ahlan Modi' roughly translates to 'Hello Modi'. Later today, PM Modi will address the World Government Summit, prior to the inauguration of the BAPS Hindu Temple. At the invitation of UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, PM Modi will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 set to be held in Dubai as a Guest of Honour and deliver a special keynote address at the Summit.
PM Modi, who is on a two-day official visit to the UAE, will also meet UAE Vice President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He will also launch of Bharat Mart in the UAE today. It is a warehousing facility for Indian MSMEs to trade in Dubai and there will be a unified platform for Indian exporters to showcase a variety of products on one platform.
Earlier on Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a bilateral meeting, and several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were exchanged in their presence here on Tuesday. Moreover, Madagascar is a SAGAR partner of India. Launched in 2020, Mission SAGAR is a global initiative along the lines of the Sagar doctrine.
India launched this mission to provide relief aid to Indian Ocean countries following the Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative covers the Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, and Seychelles.
India has had maritime links with Madagascar for several centuries and visits to Madagascar and settlements of Indian merchants in Madagascar date at least to the late eighteenth century.
