President Droupadi Murmu arrives in Portugal's Lisbon

ANI April 7, 2025 302 views

President Droupadi Murmu has embarked on a significant diplomatic journey to Portugal and Slovakia, breaking a 27-year gap in presidential visits. Her tour marks a milestone in India's bilateral relations, symbolizing renewed engagement with these European nations. The visit includes high-level meetings with political leaders and interactions with the Indian diaspora. These state visits are expected to strengthen diplomatic, cultural, and potentially economic ties between India and these countries.

"These are the first State visits to either country by the President of India in more than 25 years" - Randhir Jaiswal, MEA Spokesperson
Lisbon, April 7: President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, late Sunday night (local time), marking the beginning of her four-day state visit to Portugal and Slovakia from April 7 to 10.

Key Points

1

First presidential visit to Portugal in 27 years

2

Marking 50 years of India-Portugal diplomatic relations

3

Delegation-level talks with Portuguese leadership

4

First Indian presidential visit to Slovakia in 29 years

She is visiting Portugal at the invitation of President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The visit is taking place after a gap of 27 years. The last State Visit took place in 1998 when President K R Narayanan visited Portugal.

From April 9-10, President Murmu will visit Slovakia at the invitation of the Slovakia President Peter Pellegrini. It will be the first visit by the President of India to Slovakia in 29 years.

Earlier, sharing the post on X on Sunday, Randhir Jaiswal, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson wrote, "President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn emplanes on State visits to Portugal and the Slovak Republic. These are the first State visits to either country by the President of India in more than 25 years."

"The visits will further expand India's multifaceted engagement with two important EU partners," the post added.

Speaking to the media during the special briefing, Tanmay Lal Secretary (West) MEA, called the visits "two important landmark visits."

Sharing the details of the visit to Portugal, Secretary Lal said that the visit becomes historic as it comes when India and Portugal are marking 50 years of diplomatic relations and this visit will "take forward the friendship and partnership."

"It is also 27 years since the last visit by a President from India to Portugal. So it's a very symbolic and landmark visit. The President will be traveling to Portugal at the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal," he said.

Secretary Lal highlighted that the last few years show the high level exchange of visits between India and Portugal and that shows the degree of high-level engagement that is ongoing between the two countries.

Noting the events in which President Murmu will engage in Portugal, he highlighted that she will hold delegation-level talks with her counterpart, President Sousa.

"The President (Sousa) will also host a banquet dinner in her honour. The President will meet Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. She will also meet the Speaker of the Parliament of Portugal, Jose Pedro Aguiar Branco. The Mayor of Lisbon will also host a special event in her honour. President will also meet members of the Indian community in Portugal and she is likely to meet some Indian researchers from various universities and academic institutions," he said.

He highlighted that the visit comes 30 years after the establishment of the Indian embassy in Bratislava, which was done in 1995.

Reader Comments

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Priya K.
This is such an important diplomatic visit! 🇮🇳🇵🇹 It's great to see India strengthening ties with European nations. Looking forward to seeing what agreements come out of these meetings.
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Rahul S.
While I appreciate the diplomatic efforts, I wonder why it took 27 years for another presidential visit to Portugal. Shouldn't we be maintaining more consistent high-level engagements with important partners?
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Ananya P.
As an Indian student in Lisbon, I'm so excited! Hope this visit leads to more educational exchanges and research collaborations between our countries. 🤞
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Vikram J.
Interesting to note this comes during the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The timing seems well planned. Portugal has been an important partner for India in Europe, especially in maritime security.
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Sunita M.
The Indian community in Portugal must be thrilled! 🇮🇳 It's wonderful when our leaders take time to connect with diaspora communities abroad. These visits really help strengthen cultural ties.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
Droupadi Murmu Portugal State Visit Slovakia Diplomatic Tour Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa India Foreign Relations
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