Vice President Naidu arrives in Gabon on first leg of his tour

Naidu is the first Vice President one to visit to all three countries

On Monday, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu arrived on the first leg of his three-nation tour of Gabon, Senegal and Qatar.

"A special welcome! Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu was received by Gabonese PM @OssoukaRaponda and FM Michael Moussa-Adamo on his arrival in Libreville, Gabon for the first leg of his 3-country visit," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

While Naidu's visit is the first by any Indian vice president to all three countries, it marks the first-ever high-level visit from India to Gabon and Senegal.

In Gabon, Naidu will hold delegation-level talks with PM Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, call on President Ali Bongo Ondimba and meet other dignitaries too.

He is also expected to interact with the business community in Gabon and address the Indian diaspora there.

During his Senegal visit from June 1 to 3, Naidu will hold delegation-level talks with its President Macky Sall, and meet the President of the National Assembly Moustapha Niasse, and other dignitaries.

India and Senegal are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. The vice-president is also expected to attend a business roundtable and address the Indian community.

His visit is expected to add some momentum to India's engagement with Africa and emphasise New Delhi's commitment to the African continent, the Vice-President Secretariat said in a statement ahead of his departure.

The last leg of the tour will be the visit to Qatar from June 4 to 7.

During the visit, Naidu will hold delegation-level talks with Qatar's Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Thani and review bilateral cooperation. He will also meet several other Qatari dignitaries and address a business roundtable there.

Qatar has committed investments of over USD 2 billion in various Indian companies over the past two years.

Naidu's visit to Qatar gains prominence as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. The visit is expected to boost the bilateral ties between the two countries, it said.