India-Gabon Relations- Relevance for UPSC Exam
- GS Paper 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
India-Gabon Relations in News
- Recently, the Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu began the first ever visit by a high ranking Indian dignitary to Gabonese Republic with a series of high level meetings in the capital city of Libreville.
- During a delegation level talk, two MoUs were signed namely-
- Establishment of a Joint Commission between the Governments of India and Gabon, and
- An MoU between the diplomats’ training institutes, Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Services and Gabonese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
India-Gabon Relations
- About: India and Gabon have enjoyed warm and friendly relations dating back to pre-independence era of Gabon.
- India-Gabon Trade Relations: India-Gabon bilateral trade has crossed US$ 1 billion mark in 2021-22 despite the pandemic.
- India is now the 2nd largest destination for Gabonese exports.
- Presence of several Indian companies in diverse sectors such as Oil & Gas, Mining, pharmaceuticals, wood processing, etc, especially in the Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ).
- India-Gabon Energy Cooperation: Gabon is an important partner for India’s energy security requirement.
- India imported about US$ 670 million worth crude oil from Gabon in 2021-22.
- There is significant potential for diversifying India-Gabon engagement in oil & gas sector by enhancing cooperation in both upstream and downstream domains.
- Cooperation on International Forums: Gabon has supported India’s candidature at various international forums.
- India congratulated Gabon for getting elected as a non-permanent member of UN Security Council for the term 2022-23.
- Both India and Gabon are members of the Non Alignment Movement (NAM). NAM is focusses on mainstream contemporary issues of relevance to the developing world.
- International Solar Alliance (ISA): Gabon was among the first countries to sign and ratify the International Solar Alliance agreement.
- Gabon plans to have 100% clean energy by 2030.
- India conveyed to extend all possible assistance to Gabon to achieve its renewable energy targets.
- People to People Relations: Indian diaspora have been making significant contribution in various fields in Gabon.
- Indian community in Gabon has kept Indian culture alive and major Indian festivals are celebrated by entire community together.
India-Chile Relations- MoU for cooperation in Disability Sector Signed
India-Gabon Relations- Way Forward
- Diversifying the Cooperation: Exploring India-Gabon cooperation in green energy, services, health, and agriculture among other sectors is the need of hour.
- India and Gabon should broad base their economic partnership and harness the complementarities in their economy to attract investments.
- Agriculture Cooperation: there were immense possibilities for agricultural cooperation and transfer of knowledge in the farming sector from India to Gabon.
- Cooperation on Regional and Global Platforms: Both India and Gabon should work for a stronger India-Africa cooperation for making international governance more equitable.
- They must also work together towards an expanded and inclusive UN Security Council.
India-US Trade Relations- U.S. becomes India’s biggest trading partner
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