President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has expressed thanks and appreciation to the outgoing Ambassador of India to Liberia, His Excellency Anil K. Sharan, for the services he and the Government of India continue to render Liberia.

“During your tenure here, Ambassador Sharan, you contributed immensely to the intensification of relations between our two countries for which we must highly commend you,” the Liberian leader said.

According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf made the comments when the departing Indian Ambassador paid a farewell courtesy call at her Foreign Ministry office on Friday, February 7.

During Ambassador Sharan’s tenure, both governments attained a new level of vitality in Liberia-India relations, exploring and breaking new grounds for strategic partnership cooperation on the basis of mutual respect for each other, and in the interest of both countries and peoples.

The Liberian leader said the long-standing friendly ties between Liberia and India have enabled excellent cooperation in the areas of agriculture, education, health and transportation, among others – all geared towards enhancing and accelerating Liberia’s recovery process. She also pointed to India’s assistance in providing training and education which have made an impact in human capacity building for Liberia.

President Sirleaf also said that she was exceedingly pleased with Ambassador Sharan for all that he did, during his tenure, in arranging her State Visit to India last September. The President hoped that Ambassador Sharan takes with him fond memories of his time in Liberia, the challenges the country overcame and the progress both countries made together. “Carry with you the good wishes of the Government and people of Liberia,” she said.

In response, Ambassador Sharan said he was delighted at having served as his country’s envoy to Liberia. “The highlight of my tenure here was arranging and overseeing your successful State Visit to India,” the Ambassador told President Sirleaf. He said he departs with fond memories of this beautiful country.

Ambassador Sharan, who presented his Letters of Credence to President Sirleaf on October 23, 2012, returns to India after stints of diplomatic duties in Washington, D.C., in the United States of America; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Liberia, with concurrent accreditations to the Republics of Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.

Ambassador Sharan was accompanied to President Sirleaf’s office by India’s Honorary Consul to Liberia Mr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva.

During that historic State Visit, President Sirleaf was awarded one of India’s most prestigious prizes, the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. She also toured the facilities of the Jindal Steel Plant in Raigarth, Chhattisgarh, and the Jindal Power Plant in Tamnar; visited and lectured at the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad; and toured the Medanta Medicity Hospital in Gurgaon, Haryana.

The Liberian leader also delivered the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Lecture and laid a wreath at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial. She also addressed a cross-section of Indian businessmen and industrialists, inviting them to engage in Liberia’s private sector.

At the end of the visit both Governments signed a US$144 million Indian soft loan to Liberia for the development of the power sector – a significant contribution to Government’s quest to improve access to affordable energy and help fuel economic development.

The Indian Government also agreed, during President Sirleaf’s visit, to second teachers to Liberia in critical subject areas within various Liberian universities.

India further agreed to provide a CT Scan to help improve healthcare delivery at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, as well as a commitment to provide US$1 million worth of medical supplies towards the national healthcare delivery system.

In 2011, India generously donated a fleet of Tata buses, together with spare parts, intended to help alleviate the transportation challenges faced by residents in and around Monrovia. The Indian Government has also offered to establish an Information Technology (IT) Center in Liberia for the training and further development of IT expertise in Liberia. It has also offered scholarships under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation for degree and short-term training for qualified Liberian students to study in India.