PM Modi, Nigerian president pledge to fight terrorism & radicalisation

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu committed to jointly fighting terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation as the latter on Sunday hosted Modi for what was the first visit by an Indian PM to the West African country in 17 years. Modi spoke about opening a new chapter in ties as he stressed the importance India attaches to its strategic partnership with Nigeria.

India and Nigeria had held their second strategic and counterterrorism dialogue earlier this month, in the run up to Modi's visit. The PM identified terrorism and radicalisation along with piracy and drug trafficking as major challenges the two countries were facing and pledged to intensify cooperation in order to deal with them.

The two leaders talked in detail about deepening cooperation in defence and security. They also focused on the Global South as Tinubu acknowledged India's efforts to amplify the concerns of developing countries through the Voice of the Global South Summits.

"The two leaders agreed to work together to meet the development aspirations of the Global South," said the Indian govt in a statement. Following the talks, three MoUs - on cultural exchange, customs cooperation and survey cooperation - were signed. "Had a very productive discussion with President Tinubu. We talked about adding momentum to our strategic partnership. There is immense scope for ties to flourish even further in sectors like defence, energy, technology, trade, health, education and more," said Modi in a post on X.

The Indian readout said, "Expressing satisfaction at the progress of ties, they agreed that there was immense potential for collaboration in the fields of trade, investment, education, energy, health, culture, and people-to-people ties. Prime Minister offered India's experience in agriculture, transportation, affordable medicine, renewable energy, and digital transformation to Nigeria."

Tinubu appreciated the development cooperation partnership offered by India and its meaningful impact in creating local capacities, skills, and professional expertise.

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