(MENAFN) Angola and India have agreed to strengthen their bilateral relationship by expanding trade and investment into emerging sectors such as technology, energy, and defense.

The announcement came on Sunday during President Droupadi Murmu’s historic visit—the first-ever state visit to Angola by an Indian head of state—where she joined President Joao Lourenco for a joint news conference in the capital, Luanda.

Following her Angola trip, Murmu will travel to Botswana.

Highlighting the robust energy trade between the two nations, Murmu stated that Angola “played an important role in India's energy sector” and emphasized that India “looked forward to deepened cooperation under the broader framework of the India-Africa Forum Summit.”

Murmu also welcomed Angola's recent decision to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a treaty-based intergovernmental organization headquartered in India focused on conserving seven big cat species—tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, and pumas—and the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA).

Separately, Lourenco described the partnership as being “etched in mutual trust, respect and a shared vision of prosperity for the peoples of the two countries.” He called for rapid implementation of the various memoranda of understanding signed on Sunday covering fisheries, aquaculture, marine resources, and consular cooperation.

Lourenco also praised India’s expertise in health, aerospace, and defense systems, stating that “cooperation with that country in the fields would be beneficial to India.”

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