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પોતાની પોર્ટુગલ યાત્રા દરમિયાન વડાપ્રધાન દ્વારા પ્રેસ નિવેદન

Published By : Admin | June 24, 2017 | 20:15 IST
India and Portugal have deep historical connections and strong economic and people to people ties: PM
India is home to robust and dynamic Start-Ups industry, says PM Modi
Indian Diaspora in Portugal has played an important role in deepening our bilateral ties: PM Modi
Thank Portugal for supporting India’s permanent membership of the UNSC, as well as of the multilateral export control regimes: PM

Your Excellency Prime Minister Antonio Costa,
Distinguished delegates,
Members of the Media,

At the outset, I wish to convey our deepest condolences and sympathies for the victims of the devastating forest fires in Portugal last week. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

Friends,

We are two countries with deep historical connections and strong economic and people to people ties. It is, therefore, surprising for me to know that there had never been a bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Portugal. However, I take satisfaction in the fact that this is the second Summit between India and Portugal within a period of six months. I am grateful to Prime Minister Costa for receiving me with such warmth and affection, and at such short notice. We were honoured to welcome Prime Minister Costa in India in January, not only for a bilateral visit, but also as our Chief Guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, the Indian Diaspora Day celebrations. Prime Minister Costa represents the best of the Indian Diaspora across the world.

Friends,

Prime Minister Costa and I have held wide-ranging discussions today and reviewed the progress achieved since his own landmark visit to India. Our economic ties continue to follow an upward trajectory. Bilateral trade has grown 17% last year. And, the foreign direct investment from Portugal to India, though small, has doubled during 2016-17. But, there is much more that we can do to increase the flow of goods, services, capital and human resources between our two economies. In the regard, Portuguese economic rebound and strong Indian growth offer excellent opportunities for us to grow together. Friends, Portugal has emerged as one of the most vibrant European ecosystems for entrepreneurship. India too is home to robust and dynamic Start-Ups industry. The Start-up sphere is an exciting space that blends youth, ideas, technology, innovation and creativity to generate value and wealth for the benefit of the society. During his visit to India, Prime Minister Costa and I had discussed the India-Portugal International Start-up Hub. I am pleased to see it being realized in such a short time. I look forward to its joint launch with Prime Minister Costa. The new agreements in the fields of taxation, administrative reforms, science, space, youth affairs & sports outline the expanding scope of our partnership. Our cooperation in Science and Technology is also gaining momentum. To support our collaboration in cutting edge technology, we have agreed to set up a Joint S&T Fund of 4 million Euros. We are also keen to learn from Portuguese expertise in nanotechnology, marine sciences and oceanography. Space is a new area of our bilateral cooperation. This idea was born when PM Costa visited India earlier this year. We look forward to engaging with Portugal in the Atlantic International Research Centre, both in the Space and Ocean Science fields.

Friends,

Our two countries share vibrant and growing people to people ties. The Indian Diaspora in Portugal has played an important role in deepening our bilateral ties. Portuguese passion for football runs deep. Prime Minister Costa himself is a big football fan. This could form another link to further connect our societies. Our cultural engagement is expanding. We have set up a Chair for Indian Studies in University of Lisbon. Indian films are being subtitled in Portuguese. And, a Hindi-Portuguese dictionary is being developed for our mutual benefit. I also thank Portugal for sharing with us a digital version of 12,000 documents comprising exchange of letters between Goa and Portugal in the 17th century. This important archive will greatly benefit our researchers.

Friends,

India and Portugal are strong partners in the international arena. We thank Portugal for your consistently support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council, as well as of the multilateral export control regimes. We are also determined to deepen our cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism. Excellency,

I would like to once again thank you for your warm welcome and gracious hospitality, and for taking time out of your busy schedule for us.

Muito Obrigado
Thank you very much.

 

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PM Modi addresses the Parliament of Guyana
November 21, 2024


Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana today. He is the first Indian Prime Minister to do so. A special session of the Parliament was convened by Hon’ble Speaker Mr. Manzoor Nadir for the address.

In his address, Prime Minister recalled the longstanding historical ties between India and Guyana. He thanked the Guyanese people for the highest Honor of the country bestowed on him. He noted that in spite of the geographical distance between India and Guyana, shared heritage and democracy brought the two nations close together. Underlining the shared democratic ethos and common human-centric approach of the two countries, he noted that these values helped them to progress on an inclusive path.

Prime Minister noted that India’s mantra of ‘Humanity First’ inspires it to amplify the voice of the Global South, including at the recent G-20 Summit in Brazil. India, he further noted, wants to serve humanity as VIshwabandhu, a friend to the world, and this seminal thought has shaped its approach towards the global community where it gives equal importance to all nations-big or small.

Prime Minister called for giving primacy to women-led development to bring greater global progress and prosperity. He urged for greater exchanges between the two countries in the field of education and innovation so that the potential of the youth could be fully realized. Conveying India’s steadfast support to the Caribbean region, he thanked President Ali for hosting the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit. Underscoring India’s deep commitment to further strengthening India-Guyana historical ties, he stated that Guyana could become the bridge of opportunities between India and the Latin American continent. He concluded his address by quoting the great son of Guyana Mr. Chhedi Jagan who had said, "We have to learn from the past and improve our present and prepare a strong foundation for the future.” He invited Guyanese Parliamentarians to visit India.

Full address of Prime Minister may be seen here.