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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Mozambique on Thursday to start his four-nation Africa tour aimed at strengthening ties between Asia's emerging power with the African continent.
Modi tweeted a greeting on arrival at Maputo in the country's official language Portuguese, translated as "starting my Africa tour with a visit to Mozambique".
Modi held a talk with his Mozambican counterpart Filipe Nyusi. The two nations are expected to sign agreements which cover combating drugs, enhancing exchanges of youth and sports, as well as exporting Mozambican agricultural products to India.
"This phase constitutes a way forward, looking to the cooperation between the two nations, relations that are visible in different domains such as hydrocarbon, energy and health," Nyusi said.
Modi is the first Indian leader to visit Mozambique in 34 years. Nyusi, on the other hand, paid a visit to India in August 2015, eight months after he was inaugurated as Mozambican president.
Mozambique holds one of the world's richest off-shore natural gas reserves and massive deposits of coal. It is home to nearly a quarter of Indian investments in Africa, according to Modi.
The bilateral trade grew by five times over the past five years. Indian companies with operations in Mozambique include Coal India Limited, Coal Venture International, Tata Mozambique, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Essar Group, among others, according to High Commission of India in Mozambique.
After Mozambique, Modi will also visit South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya during the five-day tour.
（APD）
