New Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday extended his greetings to the government of Eritrea on the occasion of their independence day.Jaishankar shared a picture of the 10th International Day of Yoga being celebrated in Eritrea in June 2024.In a post on X, he said, “Greetings to FM Osman Saleh, the Government and the people of Eritrea on their Independence Day.”https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1926151150761308250The Indian Embassy in Eritrea also wished the citizens on the occasion.In a post on X, the Embassy said, “Wishing a Happy Independence Day to the people of Eritrea.”https://x.com/IndiaEritrea/status/1926179594819789208https://x.com/IndiaEritrea/status/1926184145564123307Earlier on May 15, 2024, India and Eritrea held a second round of Foreign Office Consultations in Delhi and discussed ways to further broaden and deepen their cooperation.The discussions between the officials of India and Eritrea focused on further promoting developmental cooperation and capacity building in the spirit of South-South cooperation, ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in a statement.The two sides also spoke about existing cooperation between India and Eritrea in various sectors, including agriculture, health, pharmaceuticals, and mining.In a statement, MEA stated, “Discussions were held in a cordial and constructive manner on a wide range of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues. They focused on further promoting developmental cooperation and capacity building in the spirit of South-South cooperation.”India formally recognized Eritrea soon after its dejure independence on 24 May 1993 from Ethiopia. Over the years, India has provided capacity building assistance in several fields to Eritrea including legislative drafting, technical scholarships (agriculture, education, health, handicrafts, etc.) and also food aid. In 2009, Indian government extended a line of credit of USD 20 million to the Eritrean Government, as per the MEA.An MoU on starting foreign office consultations between India and Eritrea was signed in April 2018 in Delhi. Subsequently, the first session of FOC was held in Asmara on 29 October 2018 at the level of joint Secretary (WANA) and director general, Asia-Pacific department in the Eritrean foreign ministry.
