Apple CEO Tim Cook met Bharti Group founder and chairman Sunil Mittal and both of them reaffirmed their commitment to work more closely in the Indian and African markets, the Bharti group said on Friday.

“Tim Cook and Sunil Bharti Mittal had an hour-long meeting this morning. While expressing their satisfaction on the ongoing long relationship that Apple and Airtel India have had, reaffirmed their commitment to work more closely in the Indian and African markets,” Airtel said in a tweet.

Cook’s meeting with Mittal came hours before his trip concluded. In a tweet, Cook said, “What an incredible week in India! Thanks to our teams across the country. I can’t wait to return!”

On his first trip to India in seven years, Cook met several celebrities and government officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the week, Apple has opened its first two official stores in India. Apple has completed 25 years of operations in India.

Officials said the Apple CEO, during his meeting with the ministers, has sought continuation of policy stability, continued support for bringing the component ecosystem to India, while the government sought support for skilling.

Apple is looking to train app developers in India and has set up an accelerator in Bangalore.

Cook also expressed satisfaction with the government’s support to the tech industry in India. Apple, which has created more than 1 lakh jobs in India in the past two years, said it plans to double that number soon.

The new stores come at a time Apple is trying to deepen its retail push in India, the world’s second largest smartphone market. India is also home to factories that produce 5 per cent of total iPhones as Apple diversifies its supply chains away from China.