Ambassador of India to Madagascar Abhay Kumar and Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato signed an agreement on the exemption of visas for the holders of diplomatic and service/official passports between India and Madagascar on 13th September 2022.
The agreement will help in facilitating the travel of diplomats and officials between the two Indian Ocean neighbors. India and Madagascar are set to increase their collaboration by signing several other agreements too. Both nations signed an MOU for the training of diplomats on 12th September.
The bilateral ties between the two Indian Ocean neighbors have gone from strength to strength during the past Four years since the visit of President Ramnath Kovind in March 2018.
Four MoUs/Agreements have been signed in 2022 alone many more agreements in the field of health, traditional medicine, culture, customs and administrative matters, environmental protection, and maritime security have been finalized and are awaiting signature on an appropriate occasion. India already had established cooperation in the health sector, including in the field of traditional medicine.
At the time of Pandemic India also made an offer to provide free Covid-19 vaccines to Madagascar when a large number of people from Madagascar traveled to India on Medical visas to avail of world-class health facilities in India.
Strategically located in the southwestern Indian Ocean and astride the Mozambique Channel, Madagascar (587,041 km2 ) is the fourth largest island in the world.
The majority of the Indian-origin population in Madagascar is people from Gujarat. However, Gujaratis occupy a significant place in the society and economy of Madagascar. Apart from the Khojas, Bohras, Ismailis, Sunnis, and other Hindus make up a total of nearly 25000 of the total population.
