New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu on Friday accepted credentials from the envoys of four countries during a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday. Diplomats from Mali, Myanmar, Madagascar and Equatorial Guinea presented their credentials to the President.

Fatoma Thera, Ambassador of Mali, presented his credentials to the President. India’s Embassy in Bamako was opened in May 2009 and New Delhi has extended seven Lines of Credit (LoCs) totalling US$ 303.6 million to Mali, according to the Indian Embassy in Bamako. Mali supports India’s candidacy for a permanent seat in a reformed UN Security Council.

Ambassador of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, U Aye Min Htwe, also presented his credentials to the President. India and Myanmar share deep-rooted historical, civilisational, cultural and people-to-people ties that form the foundation of their contemporary partnership.

“Myanmar occupies a position of strategic importance for India as the only ASEAN country sharing both a land and maritime boundary with India, serving as a gateway connecting India’s Northeast with Southeast Asia,” the MEA states.

Mandehatsara Georget, Ambassador of the Republic of Madagascar, also presented his credentials to President Murmu. India’s links with Madagascar date back to the 18th century. About 17,500 persons of Indian origin, mostly from Gujarat, currently live in Madagascar.

India opened a Consulate General in Antananarivo in 1954, which was upgraded to an Embassy in 1960 when Madagascar gained its independence.

Miguel Edjang Angue, Ambassador of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, also presented his credentials to President Murmu. India and Equatorial Guinea have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly relations even prior to the latter’s independence in 1968, according to the MEA.

Equatorial Guinea established its diplomatic resident Mission in New Delhi in October 2016, while India opened its Mission in Malabo in March 2019.

--IANS

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