Dar-es-Salaam : India on Sunday offered $ 92 million Line of Credit to Tanzania for a key water supply project and signed five agreements as the two countries decided to cooperate in a number of areas, including food security and natural gas sector to boost bilateral ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held wide-ranging talks with President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, also agreed to work closely, bilaterally, regionally and globally to combat the twin threats of terrorism and climate change.
Describing India as a trusted partner for the east African country in meeting its development priorities, Modi said he along with President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli “agreed to deepen our overall defence and security partnership, especially in the maritime domain”.
“Our in-depth discussions on regional and global issues reflected our considerable convergence on issues of common interest and concern,” he said at a joint press interaction after his bilateral meeting with President Magufuli.
In a joint statement, the two leaders expressed their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stated that there can be no justification for terrorism whatsoever. They expressed satisfaction on the holding of bilateral counter-terrorism consultations in early-2016. “India’s cooperation with Tanzania will always be as per your needs and priorities,” Modi said. The two sides signed an agreement under which India will provide a Line of Credit of USD 92 million for rehabilitation and improvement of Zanzibar’s water supply system. Other agreements signed include an MoU on water resource management and development, MoU for establishment of vocational training centre at Zanzibar, MoU on visa waiver for diplomatic/official passport holders and an agreement between National Small Industries Corporation of India and Small Industries Development Organisation Tanzania.
