President Murmu arrives in Portugal on first leg of two-nation visit

Lisbon: President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Lisbon on Sunday for the first leg of her four-day State Visit to Portugal and the Slovak Republic, marking the first such visit in nearly three decades.

The President was received at the military airbase of Figo Maduro by the Ambassador of India in Portugal Puneet R Kundal and the Ambassador of Portugal in India Joao Ribeiro de Almedia.

Her visit comes at a time of significant global economic change, with trade tariffs recently imposed by the United States reshaping international commerce and India’s growing engagement with Europe.

In February, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the College of Commissioners visited India. India has said, it is hopeful to finalise the India-EU free trade agreement this year.

The two-day "landmark" visit to Portugal, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, follows a gap of 27 years since an Indian president last visited.

On Monday, President Murmu will be given a Guard of Honour and will engage in meetings with top leadership including Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Assembly Speaker Dr. Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco.

Later, the Mayor of Lisbon Carlos Manuel Felix Moedas will host a special event for President Murmu.

She will also attend a banquet hosted by President Rebelo de Sousa.

"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," said Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs, while briefing the press about the visit on Friday.

We are seeing expansion in cooperation across renewable energy, IT, pharmaceuticals, education, tourism, and defence, he said.

He said Portugal had always played a very important role in deepening the India-EU partnership. Lal had said When asked about the possibility of the discussions on India-EU FTA, he said, "Yes, the areas of mutual interest will be discussed."

"In 2000, during the Portuguese Presidency, they hosted the first India-EU Summit. Also, 2021, was the first-ever Leaders' Summit between India and the EU, where all the leaders from all individual EU partner countries attended this summit. So the India-Portugal relationship has a very strong element of India-EU partnership," Lal had said.

The President will interact with a cross-section of Indian community members including researchers working in various Portuguese Institutions.

The Indian community in Portugal numbers approximately 125,000, including over 35,000 Indian nationals and 90,000 persons of Indian origin.

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

The President will also offer floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the ‘Alameda Mahatma Gandhi’ (Avenue).

She will attend a community reception before moving to her second leg of the visit to Slovak Republic, from April 9-10, "There are deep connections, especially with Sanskrit studies in Slovakia. Mahatma Gandhi’s works have been translated into Slovak, and Slovakia offered valuable support during the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine in 2022," Lal noted.

During her time in Slovakia, President Murmu will hold delegation-level talks and meet with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister Robert Fico, and Speaker of the National Council, Richard Rasi.

Among a number of engagements, She will also visit the state-of-the-art Tata Motors Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) facility in Nitra, Slovakia, a testament to the strong industrial ties between the two nations.

Inaugurated in 2018, the JLR plant has a capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles annually, with an investment of 1.4 billion Euros.

As part of her diplomatic tour, President Murmu will participate in a traditional bread and salt ceremony, an ancient Slovak custom symbolizing life and health.

The President will also engage with members of the Indian community.