MoS Margherita concludes visit to Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa

New Delhi [India], July 30 : Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita concluded his official visit to Eswatini and Lesotho from July 18-22, and to South Africa from July 23-25.

During his visit to Eswatini, Margherita called on King Mswati III and held productive discussions with Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini.

He also held bilateral meetings with Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Economic Planning and Development, Health, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy, Justice and Constitutional Affairs and senior members of the Eswatini Government, the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

The meetings reviewed the state of bilateral relations and explored new avenues for cooperation in trade, capacity building, health, and education. Margherita also interacted with members of the Indian community and visited the Royal Science and Technology Park, a development project supported by the Government of India.

During his visit to Lesotho, MoS paid courtesy calls on King Letsie III and the Prime Minister of Lesotho, Samuel Matekane.

MoS also held bilateral meetings with Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation, Education and Training, and Labour and Employment, as per MEA.

A MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Sharing Successful Digital Solutions Implemented at Population Scale for Digital Transformation was signed during the visit. MoS also had interactions with prominent business leaders and members of the Indian community in Lesotho.

According to MEA, Subsequent to his visit to Eswatini and Lesotho, Margherita led a delegation to the G20 Development Ministers' Meeting (DMM) held on July 24-25 in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Ministers responsible for Development and Heads of Delegations of G20 Members, representatives from invited countries and International Organisations participated in the DMM, which was chaired by Minister Maropene Ramokgopa of South Africa, responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. The G20 Ministerial Declaration was adopted.

Speaking at the plenary sessions, MoS expressed support for the priorities on Combating Illicit Financial Flows and on Social Protection Systems, wherein he highlighted the achievements of India in this regard.

In the session on the Ministerial Declaration, MoS stressed the need to accelerate progress on the SDGs and underlined the need to take forward key outcomes of the Indian G20 presidency. He also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from South Africa, France, the UK, Russia and the Netherlands on the margins.

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