India will seek to boost its ties with the world's youngest nation and Africa's 54th state, South Sudan, when its president Salva Kiir Mayardit arrives in India later this month.
The landlocked country in central Africa became independent in July 2011.
Ahead of the visit, India's special envoy to South Sudan P.S. Raghavan met President Kiir in Juba on Aug 9 to invite him and prepare for the visit.
This was announced by external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin here.
The visit of Raghavan, a special secretary in the external affairs ministry, is "reflective of our commitment in partnering South Sudan, which got independence in 2011", said the spokesperson.
Raghavan was given a 50-minute meeting with President Salva Kiir.
India has two battalions of 200 personnel deployed in the African country as part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said the spokesperson.
The visit of Raghavan, who heads the ministry's Development Partnership Administration, was "helpful in identifying developmental projects in South Sudan".
"The areas of focus, with two main components of capacity building and infrastructure development, in sectors like health, education, solar electrification, mining, agriculture, electoral management and hydrocarbons," said Akbaruddin.
He said India looks forward to the early visit of the South Sudan president to India and Raghavan's visit was preparatory to that.
Raghavan, assisted by joint secretary, West Asia and North Africa (WANA), Sandeep Kumar, also had an hour-long meetings each with Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin, Petroleum and Mining, Energy and Industry Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau.
They had similar meetings with Irrigation, Electricity, Water and Dams Minister Abdalla Deng Nhial, Health Minister Riek Gai Kok and Rural Development, Agriculture, Forestry, Tourism, Animal Resources, Fisheries and Cooperatives Minister, Beda Machar Deng.
Raghavan also met the under secretaries of finance and planning, reporting directly to Salva Kiir's trusted economic czar, Minister for Finance and Commerce Aggrey Tisa Sabuni.
Securing oil equity, held by ONGC Videsh joint venture with the Chinese, Malaysians and the South Sudan's national oil company, tops Indian stakes in the stability of Africa's 54th nation that was born two years ago after splitting from Sudan.
