Mumbai:
India and Nigeria
have announced a "strategic partnership" and signed four pacts to cement
ties between the two countries. The
two countries came out with an ambitious `Abuja Declaration'' that enunciates an
all-embracing vision of India-Nigeria strategic relationship with special emphasis
on closer energy partnership. The
agreements followed talks prime minister Manmohan Singh held with Nigerian president
Umaru Yar`Adua on a wide spectrum of bilateral and global issues, including energy
security, intensification of bilateral trade, UN reforms, WTO trade talks and
terrorism. "Taking
into account the commonalities and complementarities between the two countries,
it was agreed to establish a strategic partnership between India and Nigeria that
would cover bilateral economic, political, trade, security, cultural, education,
science and technology and international dimensions," the Abuja Declaration
said. A
protocol on foreign office consultations and another MoU on defence cooperation
was also signed.
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