Embassy of India

Antananarivo, Madagascar

Embassy of India
Antananarivo

Political Relations between India and the Union of Comoros

 

India established its diplomatic relations with the Union of Comoros in June 1976. Our Embassy in Antananarivo is concurrently accredited to Comoros. India and Comoros have always enjoyed close and friendly relations. Both the countries have similarities of view on regional and global issues. Comoros is a supporter of India’s permanent membership of the UNSC. India is looked upon as a role model of development in Comoros.

           

         A proposal to set up a vocational training centre (VTC) in Moroni to impart skills in plumbing, welding, electricity, civil works, IT, etc. is under consideration of the Government of India.  A plot of land in Mitsamiouili has been allotted by the Comorian Government for this purpose. Government of India soon plans to implement the first phase of the construction of the Centre as soon as the site of the Centre is available with basic amenities.

 

         EXIM Bank of India had offered a concessional credit of US$41.6 million in the year 2013 for setting up a power plant in Moroni and the same has been accepted by Comoros. An Agreement to implement the LOC has been signed and the foundation stone for the project, laid in July 2015. A consortium of BHEL and Indian company Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (OIA) Ltd. are the contractors of the project. The work is in progress and the project is scheduled to be completed by October 2019.

         India has proposed to set up a Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre in Comoros. The Comorian side has conveyed their acceptance for the proposal and given a plot size of 1200 sq.metres in the capital city of Moroni.  More details as per the requirements of the Comorian side with regard to the space, services and facilities are being worked out.

         President of the Union of Comoros, H.E. Mr. Azali Assoumani led a Comorian delegation to participate in the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance in New Delhi from March 10-12, 2018.

Comoros joined IORA in November 2012 – a regional forum consisting of coastal countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

In December 2012, Government of India provided US$ 100,000/- as assistance to Comoros for losses suffered on account of torrential rains in April 2012.  The Pan-African e-Network started its operations in Comoros in September 2010.

 

            A number of VVIP/High-Level visits from Comoros to India have taken place. These are as follows:

 

Sl. No.	Name of the Visitor	Date of visit	Purpose
1.	Mr. Souef Mohamed El-Amine,  Minister of External Relations & Cooperation	August 2004	Bilateral visit
2.	Mr. Ahmed Ben Said Djaffer  Minister of External Relations & Cooperation	July 2006	Bilateral visit
3.	Mr. Ahmed Abdullah Mohamed Sambi, President of Comoros	4-8 November, 2007	To participate in the 4th International Conference on Federalism.
4.	Mr. Fahmi Said Ibrahim Minister of External Relations & Cooperation	18-19 February 2011	To attend the LDCs Conference
5.	Mr. Mohamed Issimail Minister for National Education	01-02 March 2012	To participate in India-Africa Science & Technology Ministerial Meeting
6.	Mr. Mohamed Bakri Ben Abdoulafatah Charif, Minister of External Relations & Cooperation	02 November 2012	To participate in the Council of Ministers Meeting of Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)
7.	Mr. Mohamed Ali Soilihi Vice President in-charge of Finance Ministry	21-23 February 2013	To sign Agreement with EXIM Bank for grant of US$ 41.6 million LOC
8.	Mr. Mohamed Ali Soilihi Vice President in-charge of Finance Ministry	21-23 October 2015	4t h India Africa Trade Ministers Meeting (IATM)
9.	Dr.Ikililou Dhoinine, President of Comoros	23-29 October 2015	IAFS III Summit
10.	Dr.Abdulkarim Mohamed, Minister of Foreign Affairs	January 2016	Ist India Arab League Ministerial Conference, Manama
11.	Mr.Azali Assoumani, President	10-12 March 2018	Led 16-member delegation including Foreign Minister El-Souef Amine for the Founding Conference, ISA, New Delhi
12.	Mr. Moustadroine Abdou, Minister of Energy, Agriculture, Fisheries & Environment	3 October, 2018.	Led the Comorian delegation in the First General Assembly meeting of the International Solar Alliance member countries in New Delhi

Bilateral Visits from India to Comoros:  In October 2011, Shri Gurjit Singh, formerly Additional Secretary (Eastern& Southern Africa), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, paid a visit to the Island to further strengthen the existing bilateral relations between the two countries and also promised to take necessary steps to increase the bilateral cooperation between the two countries. During the visit announcement was made for an additional concessional credit of US Dollars 35 million for projects to be chosen by the Government of Comoros. A formal proposal from the Comorian side is awaited.

          Former Minister of Science & Technology, Mr. Y.S. Chowdary visited Comoros as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of India on 25-26 August, 2015. 

          A number of scholarships/ training courses are being offered by the Government of India to Comoros under ITEC, IAFS, etc. programmes. However, the utilization on the part of Comoros has not been satisfactory due to lack of awareness and also due to lack of knowledge of English.  The following is the utilization data in this regard:

Sl. No	Training programme/ Scholarship	Year (allotted and utilized)
		2015-16		2016-17		2017-18		2018-19
		Allotted	utilized	Allotted	Utilized	Allotted	Utilized	Allotted	Utilized
	ITEC	30	8	30	13	25	21	25	14
	IAFS-II/III	--	3		4	-	11	--
	CV Raman	--	-	-	-	-	-	--
	FSI Course	--	1	-	-	1	1	1
	ICCR General scholarship	09	7	09	3	10	1	9	1

 

Cultural Relations: An ICCR-sponsored Indian Contemporary Dance Group performed visited Moroni and performed at the Comorian National Assembly Hall on 28 August, 2018.  This was the first ever visit by an Indian dance group to Comoros.  The event was well attended by the Comorian top leadership and senior dignitaries from Comorian side. One Comorian national participated in recently held Kumbh Mela celebrations organised by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations from 21-24 March, 2019.

Indian Community: The Indian Diaspora comprises of around 250 persons and majority of them are engaged in trade and business.  The role played by the Indian community in the overall development of Comoros is highly appreciated at all levels.  Some of the Indians are very influential and their contribution to the total GDP of Comoros has also been significant.  The Indian Diaspora has been playing significant role in promoting Indian culture and traditional values in Comoros. In recent years, a number of young professionals have started working for some foreign companies in Comoros.

 

Sources:
www.eoiantananarivo.gov.in
 
https://www.facebook.com/IndiainAntananarivoMadagascar/?ref=bookmarks
 
https://twitter.com/IndembTana

 

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