News India Jaishankar calls on Zanzibar President, witnesses signing of agreement to set up IIT Madras campus

Jaishankar calls on Zanzibar President, witnesses signing of agreement to set up IIT Madras campus

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar reached Tanzania where he is scheduled to hold high-level talks and co-chair the 10th Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart Stergomena Tax.

Jaishankar in Zanzibar Image Source : TWITTER/@DRSJAISHANKARExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Zanzibar

Jaishankar's Tanzania visit: During his visit to Tanzania on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with President of Zanzibar Hussein Ali Mwinyi and also signing of the agreement on the establishment of IIT Madras campus in Zanzibar. Earlier on July 5, Jaishankar reached Tanzania where he is scheduled to hold high-level talks and co-chair the 10th Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart  Stergomena Tax. 

"Delighted to meet President of Zanzibar Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi. Appreciated his strong commitment to a stronger India-Zanzibar partnership. Our development partnership and defence cooperation are domains with which he is closely associated," Jaishankar tweeted following his meeting with the President of Zanzibar. The Indian External Affairs Minister was present when the deal to establish IIT Madras's campus in Zanzibar was signed. During the event, the President of Zanzibar and his ministers were also in attendance. 

"Witnessed the signing of the agreement on setting up of @iitmadras Zanzibar campus. Appreciate President @DrHmwinyi gracing the occasion, as also the presence of his Ministers. This historic step reflects India's commitment to the Global South," Jaishankar further tweeted. 

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India, Tanzania attempt to bolster education ties

The IIT will also open its overseas campus in Tanzania's Zanzibar in October 2023 with a batch of 50 undergraduate students and 20 master's students. This step will be taken in an attempt to strengthen the education ties between the two nations. The new IIT campus will be set up in Zanzibar under the name IIT Madras at Zanzibar. Zanzibar will be one of three campuses outside of India, with the others located in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.

During his official visit, Jaishankar also called on the senior leadership of the East African country and also attended a reception onboard Indian Naval Ship Trishul. On July 7-8, he will visit the Dar-es-Salaam city of Tanzania to address the Indian diaspora and inaugurate the bust of Swami Vivekananda. 

India-Tanzania relations

It should be noted here that India and Tanzania have traditionally enjoyed close, friendly and cooperative relations. The second edition of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting between Tanzania and India was also held in Arusha on June 28 and 29. Following the meeting, the Ministry of Defence released a statement, saying the two sides discussed enhancing security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). India and Tanzania continued to have a vibrant business and commercial relationship. India is also a leading trade partner of Tanzania.

(With inputs from ANI)

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