Jaishankar holds talks with Guinean foreign minister; deals signed for lines of credit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Guinean counterpart on Thursday to deepen ties after which two agreements were signed under which India will extend over USD 190 million lines of credit to the West African country for drinking water supply and solar power projects. The discussions between Jaishankar and Mamadi Toure, who was on a three-day visit from December 2-5, covered all aspects of bilateral relations including development partnership, capacity building and trade and commerce, a Ministry of External Affairs statement said.

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Both the ministers underscored the need to further expand and deepen bilateral engagement to realise the true potential, particularly in new areas, such as defence, it said. The meeting was followed by the signing of the following lines of credit agreements – USD 170 million for strengthening of drinking water supply of Grand Conakry and USD 20.22 million for two solar projects.

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Warming relationship

Relations between India and Guinea have traditionally been cordial and friendly. Bilateral relations have witnessed increased momentum in recent years reflected in the increased high-level engagements. India-Guinea bilateral trade showed a positive trend at USD 819.11 million in 2018-19. The total value of lines of credit extended by India for projects in Guinea was USD 253.32 million. India re-opened its embassy in Conakry in January this year.

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