India, Malawi hold 2nd round of Foreign Office Consultations, reviews defence cooperation, trade and economic matters

Lilongwe [Malawi], August 4 (ANI): India and Malawi held the second Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Lilongwe on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs informed.
The Indian side was led by Puneet R Kundal, Joint Secretary (East & Southern Africa) and the Malawi side was led by Bernard H Sande, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malawi.

“5th India-Malawi FOC held in Lilongwe today. Co-chaired by JS (E&SA) @prkundal & Principal Secretary Bernard Sande of @ForeignMalawi. Both sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways for strengthening cooperation in development partnership, trade & economic relations, digital technology, agriculture, health, mining, defence, consular and cultural issues among others,” tweeted MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday.

During the FOC, both delegations reviewed their wide-ranging bilateral relationship, covering political exchanges, development partnership, defence cooperation, trade and economic matters, consular issues and cooperation in areas such as Agriculture, Education, Health, Mines & Minerals, Digital Technology, Renewable Energy, Art and Culture, etc.
Both sides agreed to further diversify cooperation in various areas to further strengthen this relationship.
Both sides also discussed multilateral issues of mutual interest, including UN Security Council reforms, peace and security in Southern Africa, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the South African Development Community (SADC), read an MEA’s official release.

The two sides agreed to continue high-level political exchanges and regular meetings of the joint institutional mechanisms to keep the partnership vibrant and mutually beneficial.
The Indian side invited Malawi to join the Coalition for Disaster, Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA).
It was agreed to hold the next round of Consultations at mutually convenient dates in 2024 in New Delhi, the official release said. (ANI)