External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with senior leaders in Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday on strengthening bilateral cooperation in defence and counter-terrorism, including through training, capacity building and greater institutional engagement. The discussions took place during his visit to the West African nation as part of a three-country tour of Africa.

Jaishankar held separate meetings in Abidjan with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tn Birahima Ouattara and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Niale Kaba. The discussions also covered trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and people-to-people ties.

Defence Partnership In Focus

After meeting Ouattara, Jaishankar said the two sides discussed the expansion of their defence partnership, which he described as being based on mutual trust, capacity building and shared interests.

“We spoke about our growing defence partnership, underpinned by mutual trust, capacity building and shared interests,” Jaishankar said.

He added that the two sides had exchanged views on expanding cooperation in defence and anti-terrorism, including through training programmes, capacity building and enhanced institutional exchanges.

Ouattara said the talks had focused on strengthening cooperation between Cote d’Ivoire and India. He described the meeting as reaffirming the two countries’ shared commitment to developing a strategic partnership centred on peace, security and development.

Trade, Investment And Development Ties

In his meeting with Kaba, Jaishankar held what he described as “comprehensive discussions” on taking the India-Cote d’Ivoire partnership forward across several sectors.

The discussions included trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and people-to-people ties. Jaishankar said India’s cooperation with Cote d’Ivoire would remain focused on the priorities of the West African country.

“Underlined that our people-centric cooperation will be driven by the priorities of Cote d’Ivoire,” Jaishankar said. The two sides also discussed ways to deepen cooperation in multilateral forums.

The engagement reflects India’s broader effort to expand its economic and development partnerships with African countries, with areas such as healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture and capacity building forming key components of its outreach.

Jaishankar On Three-Nation Africa Tour

Jaishankar arrived in Cote d’Ivoire from Ghana, the first stop on his three-nation African tour. During his visit to Ghana, he held discussions on expanding the bilateral partnership into areas including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, mining, defence, railways and digital technologies.

The next leg of his tour will take him to Ethiopia, where he is scheduled to chair the Regional Heads of Mission Conference. Indian envoys from countries across the region are expected to participate in the meeting.

The Ministry of External Affairs has said the tour reflects India’s commitment to strengthening its engagement with Africa and reinforcing its partnership with countries of the Global South.

Jaishankar’s meetings in Cote d’Ivoire have placed defence and counter-terrorism cooperation alongside trade and development as key areas of India’s engagement with the West African country, while also expanding the broader scope of bilateral ties.

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