The Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) on Tuesday said that South Sudan, one of the African nations participating in the ongoing Third India-Africa Summit, has asked for assistance from New Delhi in the areas of agriculture and hydropower resources.
"The meeting with South Sudan took place in a very warm and cordial atmosphere. The South Sudan foreign minister mentioned that their greatest strength is agriculture. Their population is only 12 million people, but they have huge fertile lands. He said that if India can provide some assistance in the agricultural areas, then it could really boost agricultural produce and grain output in South Sudan," the spokesperson of the MEA, Vikas Swarup, told media here.
"There was also some discussion on possible Indian assistance in developing the hydropower resources of South Sudan. Thereafter, there was a discussion on the political situation in South Sudan. There has been violence in South Sudan because of the problems between two communities there," Swarup added.
The summit is being attended by the heads of 54 African nations. India hopes to create conditions that stimulate trade and investment flows between India and the African countries.
During the four-day Summit, the two sides are expected to reinforce their partnership on the global platform and deepen security cooperation including on maritime security and countering terrorism.
India recognised South Sudan on 10 July 2011, a day after South Sudan became an independent state. At the moment relations are primarily economic.