India, Tanzania to elevate ties to strategic partnership

New Delhi, October 9

India and Tanzania on Monday decided to elevate their ties to a strategic partnership and concurred on a five-year roadmap to expand defence cooperation following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

In a joint press statement, PM Modi said in the presence of Hassan that the two sides are working on an agreement to trade in local currencies. The two sides also inked six agreements providing for cooperation in the digital domain, culture, sports, maritime industries and white shipping information sharing.

PM Modi said the five-year defence roadmap would add new dimensions to cooperation in areas like military training, maritime sphere and defence industries.

PM Modi also called Tanzania an important partner in the Indo-Pacific. The two sides decided to increase mutual cooperation in counter-terrorism with the PM observing that both nations are “unanimous” that terrorism is the “most serious security threat to humanity”.

Hassan arrived here on Sunday on a four-day visit. Tanzania is India’s largest development partner in Africa.