New Delhi: Describing India and Africa as "ideal partners", External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said there were enormous possibilities of further cooperation in both economic and political fields.

He sought to strike a chord between India and Africa, saying the past of both have much in common.

"African nations, with their own above average rates of growth and the huge potential of their economies, are ideal partners for India today," Mukherjee said addressing a conference of Indian and African Editors here.

"The possibilities of further cooperation, both economic and political, in the context of a multi-polar and globalised world, are enormous," he said.

He said the 54 countries of Africa and India continue to work together in international fora like the UN and WTO. "We have common approaches to the challenges of global warming and climate change, HIV/AIDS and other pandemics as well as to global threats, such as terrorism," Mukherjee said.

Source : PTI