President Droupadi Murmu’s Historic Visit to Portugal: Strengthening 50 Years of Diplomatic Ties
President Droupadi Murmu was Recieves “Key of Honour” of Lisbon City: President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on Sunday evening (local time). This is the start of her four-day state visit to Portugal and Slovakia between 7 and 10 April. Murmu is visiting Portugal at the invitation of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. This visit is happening after 27 years. The then President K.R. Narayanan had earlier visited Portugal on a state visit in 1998.
Indian President’s Slovakia visit after 29 years:
President Murmu will visit Slovakia between 9 and 10 April. This visit is being made on the invitation of Slovakian President Peter Pellegrini. This will be the first visit of an Indian President to Slovakia in the past 29 years.
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What did the Ministry of External Affairs state about President Murmu’s visit?
Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal penned in a Sunday X post, ‘President Draupadi Murmu departed on a state visit to Portugal and the Slovak Republic. It is the first state visit by the President of India to both the two nations in over 25 years.’
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas greeted President Draupadi Murmu at the ceremony held to award her City’s Key of Honour and stated, “Namaskar! Madam President. Welcome to Lisbon.” The President, who had arrived on a two-day state visit to Portugal, was accorded a guard of honour at the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa.
She was led to the Noble Salon, where a ceremony took place to grant her the Key of Honour and the room was filled with Indians residing there. Moedas stated that the grant of the Key of Honour to her has made President Murmu an honorary citizen of Lisbon.
Cultural relations between India and Portugal
Starting his speech with the customary Portuguese greeting ‘Bom Dia’, the President added, “The cultural connections between India and Portugal date back centuries and have made an indelible impression on our daily lives.” He added that a common sense of responsibility in global affairs makes us natural allies in regional and multilateral contexts.
An indelible mark on our daily lives;
Speaking at the ceremony of transfer of the Key of Honour of the City of Lisbon, President Draupadi Murmu stated, we are striving to turn India into a developed country, a ‘Vishwasit Bharat’, by 2047. The President added that cultural connections between India and Portugal have been there for centuries and have made a permanent place in our routine lives.
A cherished friend of India:
The President added that “Portugal has been a valuable partner of India in building our relations with the European Union as also with Lusophone countries where Portuguese is the official language.” He added that this deep cultural bond is also reflected in the popularity of Indian art, culture, cuisine, yoga and Ayurveda all over Portugal.
Valuable contribution to society and economy:
Referring to Indian immigrants as the “cornerstone of our relations”, he said they are providing positive contributions to the economy and society of Portugal. The mayor greeted the sentiments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an earlier reference where he had used the precept “vasudhaiva kutumbakam”-world is one family-from the Upanishads at the G-20.
Indian community in Portugal
He added that this sentence speaks volumes. We must say no to social polarization, us versus them. The Indian population in Portugal numbers about 1,25,000 comprising over 35,000 Indian nationals and 90,000 individuals of Indian origin. These are predominantly from Gujarat and Goa. The population of Portugal is about one crore.
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