President Murmu concludes State visit to Portugal, departs for Slovak Republic
Lisbon, Apr 9 (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu concluded her two-day State visit to Portugal on Tuesday during which she held discussions with the country's top leadership and engaged with the Indian diaspora, "carrying forward the strong momentum of high level engagements" between the two nations.
The visit has reinforced the strong partnership between the two countries which is based on "historical ties, cultural affinities and diaspora linkages", External Affairs Ministry Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal told a media briefing here on Tuesday.
"The India Portugal partnership also contributes very strongly to the India-EU strategic partnership and also the engagement of India with Portuguese-speaking Lusophone countries where India is an Associate member of the CPLP, the Community of Portuguese Language countries," he said.
After concluding the first leg of her visit, the president departed for Vienna in her Special VVIP Air Force's Boeing flight. From Vienna, she will take a land route to reach Bratislava in Slovak Republic.
On the last day of her Portugal visit, celebrating 50 years of the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the president met Prime Minister Luis Montenegro at his official residence and also visited the National Assembly of Portugal where she met its President Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco.
She offered floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi before proceeding to a Radha Krishna temple in the vicinity where she met members of the Comunidade Hindu, Portugal (Hindu Community) which had started settling following the decolonisation of Mozambique in 1975.
The long historical ties between India and Portugal had a brief pause during the dictatorship in that country. The diplomatic ties resumed in 1975 with the resumption of democratic process.
The Comunidade Hindu with 9,000 members and around 800 full members hail mostly from Mozambique. Some are from Gujarat.
The community was officially recognised in 1982 and then Mayor of Lisbon Krus Abcasis provided them land for a symbolic 15,000 Escudos (around 75000 Euros). The temple located in 15,000 square feet complex functions as a sociocultural centre for the community.
Murmu also visited the Champalimaud Centre For the Unknown where she held a free wheeling interaction with the Indian researchers there.
"The State Visit has been very important as it carries forward the strong momentum of high level engagements between India and Portugal. The number of events attended by both Presidents together shows the high importance attached by both countries and the leaders to this partnership," Lal said.
The president will spend the next two days in the Slovak Republic, a State visit coming 29 years after any Indian President visited the Central European country. She will hold talks with the president, the prime minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly besides visiting a Tata Motors Jaguar Land Rover facility in Nitra. PTI ABS TIR TIR TIR
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
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