PM Modi meets leaders of Angola, Argentina

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held bilateral meetings with presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and discussed ways to boost ties, including in areas of energy and agriculture.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted a photograph of Prime Minister Modi and Angolan President Joao Lourenco together at the start of the talks.

"Bilateral meetings continue for PM @narendramodi in Johannesburg! With the President of Angola Joao Lourenco. Discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture & food processing, pharma, oil and natural gas. #IndiaatBRICS," Kumar said in the tweet.

India and Angola have traditionally enjoyed friendly ties. India supported the Angolan freedom struggle against the Portuguese colonial rule till it attained independence in 1975.

India has become the third-largest trading partner of Angola, sharing about 15 per cent of that country's external trade. Angola remained the second-largest source of crude oil for India, after Nigeria, in the Sub-Saharan Africa, according to information available on the MEA website.

There are estimated 4,000 people of Indian-origin in Angola holding passports of different nationalities.

The Prime Minister's Office tweeted that both leaders "discussed ways to enhance cooperation in trade, energy and other sectors."