Humanitarian aid of 1000 metric tonnes of rice and 100,000 tablets of HCQ brought by INS Jalashwa to help Madagascar in dealing with the drought situation in South Madagascar was handed over to the Prime Minister of Madagascar H.E. Christian Ntsay today by the Ambassador of India Shri Abhay Kumar in an official ceremony at the port of Ehoala, Fort Dauphine , Madagascar.
On receiving the consignment, the Prime Minister said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome you at Fort Dauphine as you know it is challenging for us to face this situation in South Madagascar. We have a long common history between India and Madagascar. This is another proof of our relationship; a big and very useful cooperation between Madagascar and India. Today we are here to welcome this donation and its very important for us to welcome that as South of Madagascar is facing a huge challenge. I would like to thank you so much for this donation to south of Madagascar.”
After receiving the aid Prime Minister Christian Ntsay wrote in the visitor’s book of the ship:
“I am pleased to welcome this donation granted by the Government of India. I really appreciate the excellent relationship between India and Madagascar under the leadership of the Ambassador of India in Madagascar. I thank the Indian Navy through the Captain and his team for the logistics and this demonstrates the friendship and the brotherhood between our both people. Again thanks a million for this donation and other domains of cooperation between our both countries.”
Speaking on this occasion, Ambassador of India to Madagascar said: “What makes India Madagascar relationship special is the willingness to come for help when we need each other. India and Madagascar stand with each other from shoulder to shoulder. Whether it be floods or drought, India stands with Madagascar. We are not only geographically close but also geologically close and culturally connected. There is a strong Indian origin community in Fort Dauphine originally from Gujarat which has worked together with our brothers and sisters in Madagascar. This is the first time in history that we have two Indian Naval Ships, INS Jalashwa in Fort Dauphine and INS Shardul in Antsiranana at the same time. In south of Madagascar, we have brought humanitarian aid and in north of Madagascar we have a Mobile Training Team working with Malagasy Navy and sharing experiences.”
On 1st March 2021, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar had a phone conversation with the Foreign Minister of Madagascar, His Excellency, Dr. Tehindrazanarivelo Djacoba A.S Oliva, when the prompt Indian assistance to deal with the humanitarian crisis in South of Madagascar due to severe drought was conveyed by the EAM to FM Oliva. During the phone conversation, EAM recalled the excellent bilateral ties of friendship between India and Madagascar and that India has always been among the first responders when it comes to assist the people of Madagascar in such humanitarian crisis.
India has always been a reliable partner of Madagascar in time of need. Last year, INS Shardul had visited the Port of Antsiranana on 10th March 2020 with relief material comprising 600 tonnes of rice on behalf of India to deliver quick relief to the flood victims of Madagascar. It was the biggest relief load ever carried by any Indian warship, loaded, transported and unloaded in record time, for quick relief assistance.
The supplies of food assistance and support for capacity building to Madagascar is in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR and India’s time-tested role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.
