India, Portugal agree to strengthen cooperation in UN, other multilateral forums

Lisbon: India and Portugal on Monday agreed to strengthen cooperation in the United Nations and other multilateral forums, as President Droupadi Murmu and her Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa held talks here.

President Murmu, who is on a two-day State Visit to Portugal, held a tete-a-tete with her counterpart followed by delegation-level talks during which all matters pertaining to "mutual interests" were discussed.

A statement issued after their meeting at the Portuguese President's official residence, Palácio de Belém, said the two leaders discussed "all important aspects of our bilateral relationship".

"We also discussed global and regional issues of common interest. We resolved to build further on our long-standing bilateral ties, especially in trade and investment, science and technology, information and digital technologies, renewable energy, connectivity and mobility, and to promote people-to-people contacts further," Murmu said.

"We agreed to strengthen our coordination and cooperation in the United Nations and other multilateral fora," she said.

Her visit assumes significance as it is coming in the backdrop of significant global economic change, with trade tariffs recently imposed by the US reshaping international commerce and India's growing engagement with Europe.

Trade between India and Portugal is valued at USD 1.5 billion and has been growing steadily, with a 50 per cent increase over the last five years.

The President said she had "a constructive and productive meeting" with President Marcelo Rebelo.

"I was happy to launch jointly with the President of Portugal, the commemorative stamps on the occasion of the golden jubilee of our diplomatic relations," she said.

The "historic visit" is taking place 27 years after the last visit by an Indian President to Portugal at a time when both countries are celebrating 50 years of re-establishment of diplomatic relations.

The two leaders also jointly released commemorative stamps, beautifully highlighting the vibrant traditional costumes of both countries. The stamps feature a Portuguese woman elegantly dressed in the vivid red 'Viana do Castelo' festive attire, alongside an Indian woman adorned in the intricately embroidered Black Kalbelia dress.

Murmu will also meet Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and President of the Parliament José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and attend the ceremony of Handing over of keys to the Lisbon Cit at the Lisbon City Council.

President Murmu's two-day visit to Portugal started on Monday with a ceremonial guard of honour at the iconic Praça do Império square in Lisbon, an expansive rectangular space with passages and green spaces that converge in the central illuminated fountain on a square platform.

The President laid a wreath at the tomb of Luís Vaz de Camões, Portugal’s national poet, at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos monastery.

The monastery also houses the tomb of Vasco da Gama, the legendary Portuguese explorer whose legendary voyage to India in 1498 opened maritime routes between Europe and Asia.

The President has several events lined up focussed on engagements with the Indian diaspora, including a community reception.

The Indian community in Portugal numbers approximately 1,25,000, including over 35,000 Indian nationals and 90,000 persons of Indian origin. Portugal has a population of around 10 million.

The community, spread across Lisbon, Algarve, and Porto has become an integral part of Portugal's social and economic landscape.