Lilongwe, Oct 18 (IANS ) President Droupadi Murmu on Friday met her Malawi counterpart Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on the second day of her visit to the east African country, and held productive discussions on a wide range of issues to further deepen the India-Malawi relationship, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said.
The President also witnessed the signing of MoUs on arts & culture, youth matters, sports and pharmaceutical cooperation.
She also witnessed the symbolic handing over of 1,000 MT of rice as humanitarian assistance from India to Malawi and the handing over of the Bhabhatron cancer treatment machine to Malawi. She announced India’s support in setting up of a permanent Artificial Limb Fitment Centre (Jaipur Foot) in the country.
Earlier on Friday, President Murmu visited the National War Memorial in Lilongwe and paid floral tribute to the soldiers and civilians who laid down their lives during the First and Second World Wars and other military operations. She also laid a wreath at the Kamuzu Mausoleum – the resting place of the country's first President Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
On Thursday evening, the President addressed the members of the Indian community in Malawi at a reception hosted by the Indian High Commissioner.
In her address on the occasion, she said that India values its partnership with Africa based on the principles of mutual trust, equality, and mutual benefit. The main pillars of our cooperation are development partnership, capacity building, trade and economic cooperation, defence and security, and people-to-people contacts, she said, emphasising that each pillar is important to India-Africa relations.
The President said that India had played an important role in making the African Union a permanent member of the G20. As a leading member of the Global South, India would continue to share its experiences and capabilities with countries of the Global South, she assured.
President Murmu said that the diaspora is an integral part of the transformational journey of India and urged the members of the Indian community to join this.
The President will perform arti and puja at Shree Radha Krishna Mandir in Lilongwe on Sunday as well as visit Lake Malawi before leaving for New Delhi on the completion of her three-nation state visits to Algeria, Mauritania, and Malawi - the first-ever by an Indian head of state.