India-Africa summit to be held in the Ethiopian capital
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
May 18, 2011(ADDIS ABABA) – The second India-Africa Forum will be held next week in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and the seat of the African Union (AU), Sudan Tribune has learnt.
The issues of UN reforms will be at the top of the agenda. Ahead of the forum, India has backed Africa for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is expected to arrive in Ethiopia on 23 May, will co-chair the summit. The Indian premier will also confer with his Ethiopian counterpart, Meles Zenawi, on bilateral issues and the situation in the region.
India hosted the first summit in New Delhi in April 2008, which adopted two far-reaching documents, the Delhi Declaration and the India-Africa Framework for Cooperation.
The summit will bring together leaders from Egypt, Kenya, Algeria, Chad, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Malawi, Senegal, Namibia, Mauritania, Swaziland, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Jean Ping, the chairperson of the AU Commission, will also take part in the summit.
The 53-nation AU has assured India that it will work closely with New Delhi to ensure the success of the second India-Africa Forum summit.
(ST)