External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will leave on a four-day visit to Tanzania and South Africa on March 28 during which she will hold talks with top leaders of both the countries to enhance bilateral ties in a range of areas.
Swaraj will first visit Tanzania where she will hold talks with her Tanzanian counterpart on development cooperation, ways to strengthen bilateral ties and international issues of mutual interest.
The volume of annual trade between India and Tanzania is around USD 2.5 billion. Tanzania's major imports from India include mineral fuels, oils, iron and steel, motor vehicles and plastic products, cotton fabrics and apparel and clothing.
In the second leg of the visit, Swaraj will visit South Africa from March 29-31.
In South Africa, she will co-chair a Joint Commission meeting between the two countries. She will also participate in meeting of foreign ministers of IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa).
Swaraj will also visit various sites related to Mahatma Gandhi in that country.
"We hope the joint commission meeting will foster ties between the two countries further," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.
The annual trade volume between India and South Africa is around USD 11 billion.
The India-South Africa Joint Commission at the level of Foreign Ministers was set up in 1994 to identify areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.
