BJP's Rajya Sabha member Tarun Vijay has been elected president of the India-Africa Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Vijay, who is member of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on External Affairs, called for an African-awakening in India and said it is time to add billions to India-Africa bilateral trade.
The newly formed India-Africa Parliamentary Friendship Group is under the aegis of Assocham.
Vijay said that India and Africa are bound by shared values of democracy and struggle against colonialism and apartheid. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision has inspired him to work on Africa and he is committed to work to strenghthen India-Africa trade and economic cooperation initiated by Modi.
The inaugural meeting of the group on Tuesday was attended by about 10 MPs from various parties and 40 diplomats from African countries, including Egypt, Mali, Sudan, Djibouti, Angola, Camarose, Rwanda, Seychelles, Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Niger and Togo and many others, said a statement.
--IANS
rn/bg