India's partnership with Nigeria is very important, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the first day of his official visit to that country.
Attending a reception hosted by Indian High Commissioner HHS Viswanathan at the Congress Hall at Hilton Hotel in Nigerian capital Abuja on Sunday evening, the prime minister said, "India and Nigeria share many commonalities. Our historical experiences and common developmental challenges have brought us close together. We share common hopes and aspirations."
"We now seek to build on the goodwill that exists between us and shape a strong contemporary partnership that is multi-faceted and mutually beneficial," he pointed out.
Nigeria, said the prime minister, is India's largest partner in Africa. It also plays an important role in meeting India's quest for energy security.
Incidentally, India's Petroleum Secretary M S Srinivasan is accompanying the prime minister as a representative of India's oil and gas sector.
According to sources, wider economic and political relations between the two countries are topping the prime minister's agenda and it is presumed that energy-related agreements are to be signed with the African nation rich in hydrocarbon.
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