New Delhi, Dec 19 (FN Bureau) India and Liberia held the first round of Foreign Office Consultations in Monrovia on Tuesday, during which they reviewed their cooperation in fields including trade, investment, mining, agriculture, health & pharmaceuticals, education and capacity building.The FOC was Co-Chaired by Sevala Naik Mude, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, and Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Liberia.For the FOC meeting, Ministers of Commerce & Industry, Finance, Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and Information, Culture and Tourism also attended, a statement said.During the visit, Mude also called on Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung; Minister of Health and Social Welfare Louise M. Kpoto; Minister of Agriculture J. Alexander Nuetah; and Minister of Commerce and Industry Madam Magdalene Ellen Dagoseh.In the meetings, the Liberian Ministers expressed their deep appreciation for India’s efforts in making the African Union a permanent member of the G20.Liberia, in west Africa, has also been an active participant in the Voice of Global South Summits hosted by India, and the Ministers recognized that membership of the G20 for the Africa Union will reinforce the Global South’s standing at the forum.During the FOC, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the entire gamut of India-Liberia bilateral relations encompassing key areas of bilateral cooperation including trade, investment, mining, agriculture, health & pharmaceuticals, education, capacity building and people-to-people exchanges.
They agreed to further deepen and diversify bilateral ties in key areas of contemporary relevance such as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), energy development and development cooperation.The Co-Chairs also held in-depth discussions and exchanged perspectives on key issues of regional and global importance. Both sides noted with appreciation that India-Liberia have agreed for support of their UNSC non-permanent seat candidatures for the year 2028-29 on reciprocal basis, the statement said.India and Liberia share warm and friendly relations. There have been regular visits from both sides. The opening of India’s Resident Mission in Monrovia in 2021 has enhanced more interactions. The Liberian side have expressed their desire to open their resident Mission in New Delhi soon.At present, there are over 200 Indian companies operating in Liberia in various sectors including automobiles, mining, health-care, electronics, pharmaceuticals etc. Some of them are traders and some of them are having their manufacturing and mining activities. Liberia is a member of the International Solar Alliance.Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date, it added.