New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a meeting with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and reviewed the full range of bilateral ties. He said that the two nations have decided to work together to form a five-year roadmap in the defence sector.

In a post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, PM Modi stated, "Had an excellent meeting with President @SuluhuSamia. We reviewed the full range of India-Tanzania relations and have elevated our time-tested relation to a Strategic Partnership. The areas of our discussion included trade, commerce and people-to-people linkages."

He stated that India and Tanzania are keen to explore new avenues of cooperation in various areas like education, skill development and information technology.

In a post stated on X, PM Modi stated, "India and Tanzania are keen to explore new avenues of cooperation in sectors such as education, skill development and IT. At the same time, we want to further deepen linkages in areas like water resources, agriculture and healthcare, where we are working closely at present."

In another tweet, he stated, "Our nations have decided to work together to form a five year roadmap in the defence sector. This will be beneficial for military training, maritime cooperation, capacity building and the defence industry."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Tanzania India's largest and the closest development partner of India in Africa, noting that today marks a historic day in India-Tanzania relations.

In his joint statement after the meeting with Tanzanian President, PM Modi said, "Today is a historic day in the relations between India and Tanzania. Today we are turning our age-old friendship into a Strategic Partnership," he said.

Highlighting that India and Tanzania are important partners for mutual trade and investment, he said, "Both sides are working on an agreement to increase trade in local currencies." PM Modi said, "Tanzania is India's largest and closest development partner in Africa."

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said that India and Tanzania are growing in terms of trade and investment.

She said, "On trade and investment, the numbers are satisfying. We are growing. In investment Indian investors in Tanzania, the number is growing. The value of the projects is growing as well. On trade volumes, the numbers are growing. As we're speaking up to 2022, our figures were USD 3.1 billion. So this makes India the third largest trading partner in Tanzania and the fifth largest investor in our country."

Tanzanian President who is in India at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu was received by the Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi at the Delhi airport on Sunday.

President Hassan was earlier today accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan and participated in the wreath-laying ceremony at Rajghat.

Earlier in the day, Samia Suluhu Hassan appreciated the excellent existing relationship between the two countries, noting that her visit would open new avenues for the political and economic development of India and Tanzania.