India and Djibouti share warm and friendly relations underpinned by historical and cultural linkages

Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan will make an official trip to the Republic of Djibouti in a bid to provide further momentum to bilateral ties between the two countries.

The visit, on Wednesday and Thursday (September 21-22), will be his first to the country which is located in the Horn of Africa, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.

During the visit, MoS Muraleedharan will meet with Prime Minister of Djibouti Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed and other dignitaries. He will also have discussions with Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and other leaders on bilateral, regional, and international matters of shared interest.

He will interact with Djibouti's Indian population as well.

According to the MEA, the visit will also see the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) and the Institute of Diplomatic Studies (IDS) of Djibouti, as well as an agreement exempting holders of diplomatic and official/service passports from the need for a visa.

India and Djibouti share warm and friendly relations underpinned by historical and cultural linkages.

"Djibouti had extended extraordinary support in the evacuation of Indian nationals from war-torn Yemen in 2015 (Operation Rahat). Shri Ram Nath Kovind, the then President of India, paid a State Visit to Djibouti in October 2017. India opened Mission in Djibouti in 2019. Bilateral trade between the two countries was valued at US$ 755 million in 2021-22. A sizeable Indian community is living in Djibouti," the MEA said in its press release.