india newsletter #2 2015 - english
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INDIA Newsletter
#2 2015
April - July
Dear Readers of our Newsletter; Dear Friends of India in Sweden & Latvia,
The number of pages in this Newsletter and the delay in publishing it testify to the number of events that have taken place since March 2015. To make up we have extended the period covered by this issue to July 2015. I hope you will excuse the lateness and read about our doings with continued interest.
The landmark event of past months, indeed of India-Sweden bilateral relations, was the first-ever visit by the President of India to Sweden from 31st May to 2nd June. The warmth with which he and his delegation were received as well as the care with which his programme was prepared and executed ensured that the visit was a grand success. It provided an excellent opportunity for
discussions on many issues of mutual interest, both political as well as economic. If the clear Swedish endorsement of India’s claims for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council was welcomed by the Indian side, the Swedish side was delighted at the announcement of the decision to grant Electronic Visa on Arrival for Swedish tourists and casual business visitors. Incidentally, the E-Visa entered into effect on 15th August, 2015. ‘Smart Cities’ was one of the main focus areas of the visit which should give a boost to bilateral interaction in this important sector, especially as a Memorandum of Understanding to promote cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development was signed during the visit. Several other important documents were also signed including four other intergovernmental ones and 17 MoUs for cooperation between Indian and Swedish educational institutions. The President was accompanied by an educational delegation as well as a large business delegation. Please read the details of the President’s engagements in the Newsletter including about the business conferences that were organized under the India Unlimited platform to coincide with the visit on the broad theme of ‘Make in India: Grow with India’. Over the last four months, we have also had other important political exchanges such as visits to India by the Swedish Minister of Infrastructure, Ms. Anna Johansson and of Defence Minister, Peter Hulqvist. From India, we had the visit of the Minister for Women & Child Development, Ms. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi. All the visits are expected to strengthen bilateral relations in the areas dealt with by these Ministers. We also had the dynamic, young Chief Minister of Maharashtra here to invite Swedish businesses to ‘Make in Maharashtra’.
The cultural highlight of the year was undoubtedly the mega Indian Festival ‘Namaste Stockholm’ that the Indian Embassy organized on May 23 under the India Unlimited platform to prepare for the historic visit of the President. It succeeded beyond all expectations. Throughout the day, people thronged the ‘little India’ that had been created in Kungsträgården and enjoyed the culture, cuisines, crafts and creativity of India. The fashion show of three students from the National Institute of Fashion Technology received great applause as also the fantastic video-cum-live music & dance programme demonstrating the ‘Unity in Diversity’ of India. This ambitious project could be undertaken only due to the generous sponsors of India Unlimited and the support that we received from the Indian Department of Tourism and the Ministry of Textiles. An especially big thanks must go to the wonderful Indian community organizations in Stockholm (and beyond) who worked so hard to share their music, dance and food with the visitors. The last time anything similar had taken place was in the 1980s. At the risk of being accused of boasting, I can say that Namaste Stockholm was a GRAND SUCCESS. We are not only already planning next year’s edition in Stockholm (Saturday, May 21, 2016, block your calendar!) but also exploring possibilities of organizing similar events in other cities, particularly Gothenburg, Malmö and Karlskrona. If you would like to support us in any way, please send me an email.
To get a first-hand understanding of the Swedish business experience in India, I met many Swedish CEOs over the last four months. The one common thing that emerged in all the meetings was a genuinely positive attitude towards India. Many of them gave me some useful suggestions about what India needs to do to facilitate and attract more foreign investments.
With Latvia too, relations continue to grow. An important conference was organized on the theme of ‘Fostering India-Latvia Relations’, which included an international seminar on Ayurveda. We also had a business seminar focussing on Indian agricultural products.
Last but not the least, notwithstanding the vacation period, the first International Day of Yoga on June 21 was celebrated with a large participation in both Sweden and Latvia. So watch out for the celebrations on June 21, 2016!
I look forward to receiving the feedback of the readers through emails to [email protected] We plan to include them in our next Newsletter so don’t forget to write!
Sincerely,
(Mrs) Banashri Bose Harrison / (श्रीमति) बनश्री बोस हैरीसन Ambassador of India / भारि की राजदिू
Message from H.E. Mrs. Banashri Bose Harrison Ambassador of India to Sweden and Latvia
1
After nearly three decades, a colourful Indian festival was
organized in Stockholm on May 23 as a forerunner to the first-
ever Presidential visit from India to Sweden. Called 'Namaste
Stockholm', this whole-day mega event was organized at
Kungsträdgården (Royal Garden) in the heart of the city.
The day began with Yoga, firstly with Wakeup Stockholm at 0830
hrs, coordinated by Yogobe, a Yoga community, blog and video
service. It continued with a session with SATS, the biggest fitness
company and ended with the Art of Living. The Yoga programme
concluded with an address by Swami Jyothirmay on the spiritual
dimension of Yoga.
The Indian Minister for Women and Child Development,
Mrs. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi formally inaugurated the event
thereafter. The Minister of Sports of Meghalaya also
participated in the inauguration along with the Former Swedish
Minister for International Development, Ms. Gunilla Carlsson.
The remainder of the day introduced the city dwellers to , what
the Ambassador Banashri Bose Harrison, in her opening address
called, " the five C's of India - Culture, Cuisine, Crafts, Choice of
destinations and things to do and buy and the Children & youth
of the country". From 1130 AM to 6 PM, visitors saw a non-stop
cultural performance which included classical and popular
genres of music and dances of India performed by local
community groups as well as professional artistes from Sweden
and India.
Besides culture, the festival also presented travel opportunities
in India with the active participation of the India Tourist Office
and a delegation of seven Indian travel companies. Karnataka,
the focus state of the festival exhibited its cultural attractions
as well as its unique products. The Yakshagana and the Dollu
Kunitha drum dancers won the enthusiastic applause of the
audience.
Indian craftsmanship showcased with three master craftsmen
who displayed their impressive skills in the art of pottery, block
printing and pashmina embroidery and weaving. The Women
power of India was represented by the participation of FICCI
Ladies’ Organization which brings together women
entrepreneurs of India.
A taste of the diversity and deliciousness of Indian cuisines was
The Indian Festival: "Namaste Stockholm"
-a grand success and prepares the ground for President of India’s historic visit
INDIA IN SWEDEN: HIGHLIGHTS
2
provided by local organisations representing different regions of
India as also some selected restaurants.
The footfall of visitors through the day was around twelve
thousand.
In the evening, an audience of over five thousand were treated
to a three-hour cultural performance which featured a fashion
show presenting the works of three students from the National
Institute of Fashion Technology and a 45-minute presentation on
India ‘Unity in Diversity’ through the music and dance of
different states of India, conceived and created by Ananya Dutta.
Other highlights included performances by Padmashri Kathak
guru, Shovana Narayanan; Swedish guitar Maestro; Johannes
Moller and the young Latvia-based choreographer, Avik Nath
and his troupe - Let Your Body Speak.
The event was organized under the communication platform -
India Unlimited, created by the Indian Embassy in September
2013, along with like-minded Swedish and Indian partners and
received significant financial support from the Indian
Department of Tourism.
The President of India paid a historic first-ever visit to Sweden
from May 31 to June 1, 2015 at the invitation of His Majesty the
King of Sweden. The President was accompanied by the Minister
of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Hansraj Gangaram
Ahir; Members of Parliament: Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad and
Shri Ashwani Kumar; Members of the Upper House (Rajya
Sabha) and Lower House (Lok Sabha) respectively. He was also
accompanied by senior officials and an educational delegation
comprising several Vice Chancellors and Directors of leading
Indian universities. A high level business delegation also
accompanied the President to participate in a series of business
conferences organized by the Indian Embassy in Sweden and
Business Sweden.
He was given a ceremonial welcome on arrival in Stockholm and
rode in a traditional horse-drawn carriage accompanied by His
Majesty the King of Sweden to the Royal Palace where the entire
Swedish government led by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven
greeted him. He then spent some time with the Royal family.
Thereafter, he attended the reception hosted in his honour by
the Indian Ambassador to meet the Indian community.
On June 1, 2015 the President's first engagement was a visit to
the Parliament where he was received by Mr. Urban Ahlin, the
Speaker and other Members of Parliament drawn from different
PRESIDENT OF INDIA PAYS LANDMARK VISIT TO SWEDEN
President was received by the Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel
President spent some time with the Royal family
3
parties. After meeting with the Swedish Parliamentarians, the
President had a bilateral discussion with the Prime Minister of
Sweden, Mr. Stefan Löfven. During the meeting, Mr. Löfven was
assisted by a number of senior Ministers including the Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister for Environment, Ms. Asa Romson;
the Foreign Minister, Ms. Margot Wallström; the Defence
Minister, Mr. Peter Hultqvist; the Enterprise and Innovation
Minister, Mr. Mikael Damberg and Minister for Housing, Urban
development & Information Technology, Mr Mehmet Kaplan.
Six agreements/MoUs were signed in the presence of Hon'ble
President and His Excellency the Swedish Prime Minister on June
1, 2015, including in the area of sustainable urban development
and cooperation in the field of Micro, small & medium
entreprises. Simultaneously, around 15 agreements were signed
between Indian and Swedish Universities in a separate function
hosted by the Swedish Minister for Education and Research,
which would give a fillip to cooperation in the important field of
education and human resource development.
Thereafter, the Mayor of Stockholm and the President of the
City Council hosted a lunch in honour of the President of India in
the iconic City Hall. The President was also given a presentation
on Smart Cities. From there, the President of India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee, accompanied by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf travelled
by boat to Stockholm's "Smart City" Hammarby Sjostad and
interacted with Swedish companies which have technologies
and products relevant for building smart cities, including
Ericsson, ABB and Scania.
In the evening, the Leader of Opposition Mrs. Anna Kinberg
Batra called on the President to exchange views on bilateral
cooperation. The same evening, a state banquet was hosted by
Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden in honour of the
President of India.
On the 2nd of June, the President visited Karolinska Institute in
the company of their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden
and participated in the round table meeting held in the Nobel
Forum, where the Nobel Prize for medicine and physiology is
decided annually.
After the visit to Karolinska, the President and His Majesty
participated in a Roundtable with CEOs of leading global
Swedish companies including Ericsson, Volvo, Sandvik, Saab and
Scania. The upcoming Swedish mid-size company 'Rusta'
represented the retail sector. Thereafter, the President spoke on
the theme of "India-Sweden Partnership- Co-creating a Brighter
Future" in the business conference which had the broad theme
of "Innovate, Make & Grow in India". His Majesty the King as
well as other members of Royal family including the Queen,
Indian President and Swedish Prime Minister
4
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel were amongst the
audience. A special cultural programme which mixed Swedish
and Indian music and dance followed his speech. Thereafter, the
President hosted a return luncheon in honour of their Majesties
and selected guests. In the afternoon, before leaving for Uppsala
University, the President paid a farewell call on Their Majesties
and was given a guard of honour at the Royal Palace. After the
farewell the President proceed to Uppsala accompanied by the
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.
The President's last engagement was a Public Lecture on 'Tagore
& Gandhi: Contemporary Relevance for Global Peace' at the
ancient and prestigious Uppsala University. A bust of Rabindra
Nath Tagore was installed in this University last year to com-
memorate the centenary of the award of Nobel Prize to the poet
Laureate. Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Princess Victoria
and Prince Daniel graced the occasion. Foreign Minister, Margot
Wallström introduced the President and made opening remarks.
The 1200 plus audience listened with rapt attention to the
President’s erudite speech.
The President left Stockholm for Minsk, Belarus in the evening.
Mrs Maneka Sanjay Gandhi visited Stockholm from May 23 to
26, 2015. She met her counterpart Mrs. Åsa Regner, the Swedish
Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality on May
25, 2015 and discussed issues of mutual interest. Earlier, on May
23, 2015, she inaugurated the Indian festival Namaste
Stockholm. More than 200 persons attended a reception hosted
in the visiting Minister’s honour by Ambassador Banashri Bose
Harrison on May 24. On May 25, she spoke in two seminars: on
Travel and on Gender and Diversity. She released a publication
of the FICCI Ladies Organization about Women Achievers of
India. She gave two interviews to Swedish media in which,
among other things, she provided detailed information on the
various steps taken by the Indian government to ensure the
safety of women and said that India was a safe tourism
destination for all. Mrs. Maneka Gandhi was the first Minister of
the new Indian Government to visit Sweden after the elections
held last year in both countries.
Minister of Women & Child Development visits Stockholm
5
Under the India Unlimited platform coordinated by the Indian
Embassy, for the second year, a number of conferences were
organized in Stockholm under the overarching theme of ‘Make
in India: Grow with India”. After the inauguration of the
conference at the Grand Hotel by MOS for Chemicals and
Fertilizers, Mr. Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, seminars were held on
the following key subjects on June 1 & 2 in which many
representatives from Swedish companies and members of the
Indian business delegation which had accompanied the
President participated including Smart Cities: Urban Mobility &
Management, Local Waste to Local Fuel To Local Transport and
Space & Innovation.
For the first time, conferences were also held in Gothenburg in
the City hall in which delegates from the Confederation of Indian
Industry’s business delegation participated. Again the themes
were selected to focus on areas of mutual interest such as
Making in India – Sustainable Swedish Strategies in India and
Smart City: from waste to value. The concluding event was a
light-hearted Bollywood evening at the World Culture Museum.
The main celebration of the first International Day of Yoga (IDY)
in Sweden took place at the Volvo Ocean Race Village at
Frihamnen in Gothenburg; the second biggest city in the
country. Approximately 400 people of all ages and from all walks
of life participated in the one and half hour yoga programme.
Ms. Annelie Hulten, Mayor of Gothenburg inaugurated the
programme along with the Ambassador of India. The Mayor
acknowledged the benefits of Yoga and expressed the support of
the city for such events in the future. The Ambassador thanked
her and pointed out that this event was completely in line with
the motto of the city which was “A Sustainable City – open to
the World”. She briefly highlighted the value of Yoga for
connecting body to soul and creating harmony within the
individual as well as between the individual and nature; thereby
reducing stress for everyone and promoting global peace. The
main partner of the Embassy of India in organizing this
celebration was Yogobe, the leading organization for promoting
knowledge and practice of Yoga in Scandinavia (https://
yogobe.com/). The City of Gothenburg and Art of Living
International Day of Yoga celebrated enthusiastically in Sweden
Seminars in Stockholm & Gothenburg to promote ‘Make in India:
Grow with India’ under the joint Embassy-India Unlimited platform
6
extended invaluable support while technical assistance for live
streaming was provided by Tech Mahindra, the leading Indian IT
company.
The first International day of Yoga (IDY) was also celebrated in
Stockholm at the iconic Kunsträdgården in the city centre on
21st June 2015. The event was organised by volunteers from
amongst the Indian origin community in Stockholm in
association with the Embassy of India. Despite being the
midsummer weekend and the start of the vacation period, a
strength of approximately 120 people of all ages and from all
walks of life enthusiastically participated in the one hour
workshop which was conducted in accordance with the common
Yoga protocol devised by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH). The
public was made aware of the importance of all the asanas and
the associated benefits. The keen interest in Yoga that was
generated by the event could be gauged from the numerous
post-event queries on the subject and the possibility to enroll in
regular yoga classes.
In addition to the event at Kungsträdgården, several other
organisations like the Isha foundation and the Art of Living,
Stockholm also conducted their own events promoting Yoga.
The International Yoga day was also celebrated in other cities in
Sweden such as Örebro, Malmö, Motala and Helsingborg.
The Indian Embassy took advantage of an opportunity offered by
Stockholm City to share some of India’s attractions with the
residents of Stockholm. Every year, Stockholm City celebrates
"Stockholm Kulturnatt" (Stockholm Culture Night) in the month
of April by permitting free entry to many of the city's cultural
high spots which also organize special events to attract the
public. This year, the Embassy joined these celebrations for the
first time by opening the doors of the Indian Ambassador’s
residence to the public of Stockholm from 1800-2400 hours on
April 25, 2015. The visitors got a glimpse of mini-India when they
came to the residence. They were amazed and impressed by the
range and beauty of the Indian artefacts displayed at the India
House. They were shown a selection of films that have been
made by the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of
External Affairs including on Yoga which attracted a lot of
interest. Indian spices were on display for the visitors and
Stockholmers also enjoyed the flavours of Indian tea and Indian
snacks. Demonstrations were held to show how to wear sarees.
India House opens to Stockholmers on Culture Night
7
About 100 ladies tried out sarees and were delighted with the
results and took many photographs. Brochures on India's tourist
destinations were distributed and interested people were
briefed by the Embassy personnel including the Ambassador and
her spouse about what India offers to a foreign visitor.
Bollywood songs sung by Mr. Deepak, an Indian IT professional
enthralled the visitors. A flash mob was organized and the
visitors danced to the beat of a Punjabi Bhangra.
Between 4500-5000 people visited India House during
Kulturnatt; encouraging the Embassy to make it an annual
event!
Photo Gallery
8
Ambassador, Mrs. Banashri Bose Harrison, visited Kiruna on
March 31-April 1, 2015 to visit Europe's largest and deepest
underground iron ore mine owned by the Luossavaara
Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag (LKAB), which accounted for 90% of
Europe's iron production. She was accompanied on her visit by
Mr. Bo Krogvig, Senior Adviser of Public Affairs. She was first
given a briefing by Mr. Krogvig and Mr. Anders Holstenson,
Production Manager, who informed her that LKAB was one of
the world's leading suppliers of iron ore pellets to the global
steel industry. The iron ore available in Sweden is 60-70% pure
and magnetized and after it undergoes various processes,
it is exported as pellets which are not only produced in an
energy-efficient manner but also require less energy when used
to make steel. She was told that the mine never stopped and
there were four shifts. To give her an idea of the volume of
production, Mr Holstenson told her that with one day's drilling
of iron ore in the LKAB mine, six Eifel Towers could be built.
Later Ambassador was taken on a visit of the mine. At the level
of 550 metres underground, she was shown a documentary
about LKAB in the very same auditorium, where the Arctic
Council meeting was held in May, 2013 in which India was
elected as an Observer.
After the mine visit, she met the President and Chief Executive
Officer of LKAB, Mr. Lars-Eric Aaro who made a presentation
giving an over-view of LKAB's activities and priorities. He
informed her that India's Tata Steel and Arcelor Mittal together
accounted for about 30% of the company's sales at present.
The Ambassador was very impressed with the efficiency and
sustainability of LKAB's production processes as well as its
excellent safety record.
Mr. Olof Faxander, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Sandvik AB, visited the Embassy and met the Ambassador on
April 7, 2015. Sandvik AB is one of the leading global Swedish
companies which manufacture construction and equipment
tools, furnace products and heating systems and other special
materials related to construction. Mr. Faxander told the
Ambassador about his recent visit to India. Apart from visiting
Pune and Ahmedabad, Mr. Faxander had the opportunity to call
IMPORTANT INDIA-SWEDEN HAPPENINGS
Ambassador visits LKAB Europe's
largest and deepest iron mine
CEO of Sandvik AB meets
Ambassador
9
on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi and said that he had
found the meeting to be very interesting as well as inspiring.
Ambassador recalled that Sandvik was one of the first Swedish
companies which responded to the invitation by the first Indian
Prime Minister Mr Nehru to invest in the newly independent
India, which he issued during his 1957 visit to Scandinavia.
Mr. Faxander told the Ambassador that Sandvik had already
made large investments in India and was planning to increase its
footprint by establishing a R&D centre.
Replying to Ambassador's query about where India figured
in Sandvik's global markets, Mr. Faxander said that at present
India ranked 13th but with the vision of the present Indian
Government and the consequent economic acceleration, he
expected India to climb up the ladder very fast. He noted that
India offered many advantages to foreign investors such as
relative security of Intellectual property, knowledge of English
and a very favourable labour cost-differential.
Mr. Mikael Ericson, CEO of Uppsala-based Kemwell AB visited
the Embassy to meet the Ambassador on April 9, 2015. Kemwell
AB is part of the Indian company Kemwell BioPharma based in
Bangalore. Founded in 1980, it is 100% dedicated to contract
pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. It has multiple
factories in India and acquired a solids manufacturing plant in
Uppsala in 2006. Through the facilities in Sweden and India,
Kemwell offers the entire value chain from early & late stage
drug development services, clinical trial supply support, to
commercial contract drug manufacturing. Kemwell BioPharma
was voted the “Best Contract Manufacturers in India” by
Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers in India (OPPI) in
2010. In 2015, it has been honoured as the “Best Contract
Manufacturing Organization” at the BioPharma Asia Industry
Awards.
Ambassador meets CEO of Kemwell
Mr. Mikael Ericson with H.E. the Ambassador
Mr. Olof Faxander with H.E. the Ambassador
10
Chief Minister of Maharashtra, H.E. Mr. Devendra Fadnavis led a
five member delegation to Stockholm on April 15-16, 2015. The
delegation included, among others, the noted Indian industrial-
ist; Mr. Baba Kalyani, CEO of Bharat Forge (which owns a facility
in Sweden); Secretary (Industries), Mr. Apurva Chandra and
Managing Director (MD) of Maharashtra Industrial Development
Corporation (MIDC), Mr. Bhushan Gagrani.
The Chief Minister and his delegation first visited the SAAB
aircraft manufacturing facility in Linkoping. In Stockholm, their
first port of call was the IKEA store at Barkarby where they were
given a briefing on how IKEA works. Mr. Juvencio Maeztu, CEO
of IKEA-India briefed the delegation about the company’s plans
in India. IKEA has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with the Maharashtra Government and plans to have a strong
presence in the state which contributes the most to India's GDP.
A Business Seminar on ‘Make in Maharashtra - New Opportuni-
ties for Swedish companies’ was arranged by the Embassy under
the India Unlimited platform at the Hotel Sheraton, which was
attended by over 100 representatives of Swedish and Indian
companies. In her opening remarks, Ambassador Banashri Bose
Harrison set the agenda by briefly describing Maharashtra
State's special connection with Sweden as the state where the
maximum number of Swedish companies are present for many
decades. She recalled that Pune was the city where the Swedish
companies went when they responded to the invitation to invest
in India which India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal
Nehru issued during his 1957 visit to Sweden. Ambassador made
a brief presentation on ‘Make in India’. She highlighted that, as
pointed out by Prime Minister Modi when he launched the
programme in September 2014, India is the only country
in the world where one can find the advantages of three
Ds - Democracy, Demand and Demography. The MD of MIDC,
Mr. Bhushan Gangrani showed a short film driving home
the reasons why Maharashtra should be the preferred
destination for foreign investors. He then elaborated on some of
Maharashtra's strengths regarding land, electricity, water,
connectivity, and availability of technically trained manpower.
The next speaker, Mr. Sunil Puri, Vice President of Sandvik,
which already has a strong presence in India, made a power
point presentation on the company's activities in different
sectors. He informed the audience of the many ways in which
the State Government had facilitated the expansion of the
Chief Minister of Maharashtra
visits Sweden to promote
‘Make in Maharashtra’
H.E. the Ambassador and the Hon’able Chief Minister
11
company’s operations and praised the initiative of setting up of
Maharashtra Industry Trade and Investment Facilitation Cell
(MAITRI) which was doing an excellent job.
Mr. Baba Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director of Bharat
Forge spoke next. He said that India’s GDP was set to go up from
2 trillion dollars to 6.5 trillion dollar by 2025, under the leader-
ship of Prime Minister Modi. He forecast that India will exceed
the GDP of Germany and Japan in 2025. He spoke about the
potential for India to become even more technologically ad-
vanced and the contribution that Swedish companies could
make towards this. He mentioned defence as a priority area
where India wants to be as independent as possible and hoped
that Swedish companies would enhance their presence in India
in this sector.
The Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai, Ms Frederika
Ornbrant was the next speaker. She said that are already around
50-60 Swedish companies present in Maharashtra. According
to her, the reason Swedish companies prefer Maharashtra was
the presence of a cluster of Swedish companies, opportunities to
exchange experiences, availability of experienced skilled labour,
an international business environment, proximity to clients and
last but not the least, good schools for the children. She told the
audience that healthcare and smart cities were priority areas for
India and there are many opportunities for Swedish companies
dealing with transport, energy and waste handling. She told the
audience that Business Sweden has offices all around India and
they would extend all possible help to Swedish companies that
wanted to invest in India.
In his closing address, Chief Minister Fadnavis began by telling
the audience that Maha means big and Rashtra means country,
thus Maharashtra is a big country within a great country. He said
that Maharashtra was the engine for the growth of the nation as
it has the biggest economy among its states. Thus if India has to
grow at the rate of 8% then Maharashtra has to grow at the rate
of 10%. He told the spell-bound audience that Maharashtra ac-
counts for 15% to the national GDP, 30% of entire exports of
India and 30% of FDI. He praised Prime Minister Modi’s initiative
of ‘Make in India’ and said that the state Government has start-
ed the initiative of ‘Make in Maharashtra’ to support this nation-
al programme. As a first major step towards making it easier for
foreign companies to do business in Maharashtra, his Govern-
ment has established a ‘single window system’ whereby assis-
tance is given for getting land, electricity, water and all other
clearances.. He informed the audience that the state was now
looking at the labour laws and consulting all stake holders to
bring in needed amendments.
12
A lively Q&A concluded the session. As a surprise end to the
seminar, a Maharashtrian folk dance was performed by the
gifted danceuse from Bangladesh, Ms. Wahida Zennath, which
enchanted the audience.
Later in the evening Ambassador hosted a dinner in honour of
the Maharashtra Chief Minister at the India House which was
attended by over 30 CEOs and senior executives of Swedish and
Indian companies.
This year the Stockholm Junior International Film Festival held in
mid-April included the Indian film 'Mary Kom'; a story about
Manipur rice farmer's daughter who charted her own destiny as
a five-time world amateur boxing champion. Apart from being
shown to the appreciative audience during the festival, the
Indian Embassy arranged a special screening of the film in
Kulturhuset, the central hub of Stockholm's cultural activities.
The hall was totally packed. After the screening, there was an
interactive session with the producer of the movie Mr. Omung
Kumar who was in Stockholm thanks to support from Air India.
The interaction was conducted by Marie Nyreröd, a well-known
Swedish TV personality. Among other questions, she asked
Mr. Kumar about the reasons for choosing a woman centric
theme for his debut movie. The entire audience applauded
when Mr. Omung Kumar replied that he wanted to inspire
women in India and all over the world to follow their dreams
and not to think that marriage was the end of the road. The
Swedish Film maker Elisabeth Gustafsson and the Indian film
maker Pooja Kaul were also in the audience and interacted with
Mr. Omung Kumar. One of the questions asked by them was
about his technique and whether it was specifically meant for an
Indian audience. He replied that the film had been enjoyed by
audiences worldwide and expressed confidence that the
Swedish audience would also be able to relate to its universal
message.
At the end of the function Mr. Omung Kumar was felicitated by
Ms. Ashwathi Pillai, an Indian origin young Swedish citizen who
is the current under-15 Swedish National Badminton Champion.
Ms. Ashwathi said she was really motivated by the movie.
The icing on the cake: Mary Kom won the award for the best film
in the Festival!
Director of India's most popular
film in 2014 'Mary Kom' - Omung
Kumar Visits Stockholm
Director Mr. Omung Kumar
13
The President and CEO of Atlas Copco Group, Mr. Ronnie Leten
and Ms. Annika Berglund, Senior Vice President Corporate
Communications and Government Relations called on the
Ambassador on April 29, 2015. Ambassador welcomed them
warmly to the Embassy and reminded them that the Indian
Prime Minister, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru had visited the facilities of
Atlas Copco in 1957 during his visit to Sweden and had invited
them to invest in India. The company did so and was one of the
first Swedish companies to enter India.
Mr. Leten informed the Ambassador that Atlas Copco had stead-
ily extended their operations in India. They had manufacturing
facilities in Pune, Nasik and Hyderabad. They had established
their factory in Pune in 1960 and celebrated its 50th Anniversary
in 2010. They also celebrated the 50th Anniversary of their
factory in Nashik a couple of years back. He told the Ambassador
that the Atlas Copco’s financial report was released last week
and the profits from the India operations had gone up by 12%.
He was very optimistic about future growth potential.
Mr. Leten appreciated the new Indian Government's initiatives
to make it easier to do business in India. Ambassador told him
that Atlas Copco's motto of 'Innovations for Sustainable
Productivity' was of vital value for India's fast-expanding
construction and mining sectors. She felt that the opportunities
for Atlas Copco would multiply exponentially as the Smart Cities
programme really takes off. Mining was a critical sector for India
and the company could play a big role in making it more
productive and sustainable.
On April 29 the Ambassador met the 24-member NASSCOM
delegation who were in Stockholm for a two day visit as part of
their Nordic region tour. The key objective of the visit was for
the Indian companies to gain an exposure to the ICT
environment of the Nordic countries and to provide them with
networking opportunities with the local companies and agencies
and to explore new business opportunities. (The National
Association of Software & Service Companies (NASSCOM) is the
premier trade body and the Chamber of Commerce of the
IT-BPM industries in India. It has more than 1800 members,
which include both Indian and multinational companies that
have a presence in India).
Ambassador meets President and
CEO of Atlas Copco Group
NASSCOM delegation visits
Stockholm
The Ambassador with the President & CEO of Atlas Copco
14
Ambassador briefed them about the ICT sector in Sweden and
pointed out that even though the size of the Swedish market is
relatively small, there is huge potential for joint innovations that
can meet India's priority needs as well as enjoy a global market
at a subsequent stage.
She mentioned the large number of successful IT start-ups that
Sweden has produced and highlighted the opportunities that
existed for having more active collaboration with such
companies, which are very open to working with Indian
companies. She cited the example of TrueCaller, one of the
latest Swedish IT Unicorn companies whose growth was driven
by the Indian market and which is now focussing on developing
more products with Indian collaboration. She asked the
delegation members to give their views regarding a possible
Brainstorming Conference which would bring together Swedish
and Indian IT companies to discuss next generation digital
innovations.
Mr. Shivendra Singh, Vice President of NASSCOM thanked the
Ambassador for her valuable inputs.The members of the
delegation informed the Ambassador briefly about the focus
areas of their companies.They all expressed great interest in
deepening their collaboration with Swedish counterparts. Many
of them were enthusiastic about the idea of the joint
India-Sweden IT Brainstorming conference that Ambassador had
mentioned.
The Embassy with the support of SF Bio and the National Film
Development Corporation of India brought 8 films to the cinema
lovers of Stockholm with the 2nd Cinema Indien, festival of
Indian films organized from 7th to 10th May 2015. Thanks to Air
India several noted Indian film personalities made the festival
really special. The inaugural film was ‘Margarita with a Straw’, a
story about a physically challenged girl which touched the
heart of all viewers. The film makers Shonali Bose and Nilesh
interacted with the audience after the show. Anindya
Chatterjee, the noted musician and lead-singer of Chandrabindu,
the popular band of West Bengal brought his first and highly
successful film to the festival – Open Tee Bioscope about
growing up in Kolkata which the audience enjoyed and
appreciated. Last but not the least, Naseeruddin Shah , the well
-known actor was present for the festival which included his film
‘Finding Fanny’ , an enchanting story of looking for lost love in
the charming setting of Goa. Other films shown in the festival
included acclaimed recent gems from Hindi cinema like Liars’
Dice, Ankhon Dekhi and on popular demand, Mary Kom as well
as award-winning films in regional languages like Killa in
Cinema Indien
15
Marathi and Tasher Desh in Bengali. The festival ended with a
well-attended Gala Dinner hosted by Mr. Bicky Chakraborty,
President of Elite Hotels which featured one of India’s youngest
celebrity chefs Saransh Goila. He launched his book ‘India on a
Platter’ on the occasion and spoke about the huge potential that
India holds for ‘Gastronomic tourism’. The culinary talents he
revealed in the delicious dishes the guests relished in the dinner
proved his point!
On May 5, 2015, the leading Indian IT company Tech Mahindra
expanded its presence in Sweden by opening a new office in
Gothenburg, close to the headquarters of one of its biggest
Swedish clients Volvo Cars. Mr. Vineet Nayyar, Vice President of
Tech Mahindra and Head of its Europe operations Mr. Vikram
Nair were present for this important event. Ambassador to
Sweden, Banashri Bose Harrison, and Anneli Hultén, chair of the
City’s executive committee together cut the ribbon at the
inauguration. A Yoga session and refreshments concluded the
ceremony.
The 1,300 square-metre office can support up to 120 staff. Tech
Mahindra said it will “harness the rich pool of talent” in the
region by partnering with local universities.
The Östergötland county took the initiative of organizing a
seminar on the subject of ‘Making it in India - Opportunities and
strategies for Östergötland’ on May 27 at Linkoping Castle. The
event brought together speakers from India and Sweden to
discuss different aspects related to the topic. Mrs. Lila
Poonawalla, the well-known business personality from Poona
who, as an employee of the Swedish company Alfa Laval rose to
become its CEO in India, and then became the CEO of Tetra Pak,
India gave the keynote address on the topic of Gender diversity.
The welcome address was given by the Governor of Östergöt-
land, Mrs. Elisabeth Nilsson followed by remarks by the Indian
Ambassador Banashri Bose Harrison on ‘Making Sense of India’.
She said that India-Sweden relations had tremendous potential
which could be unlocked with a better mutual understanding.
She told the audience about the historic first-ever visit of an
Indian President to India from May 31 to June 2, 2015 and
Tech Mahindra opens new office
in Gothenburg
Seminar on 'Making it in India -
Opportunities and Strategies for
Östergötland'
16
expressed complete confidence about the boost that the visit
would give to cooperation in various fields, including Smart cities
and Digital India, which were priority programmes of the Indian
government.
Other speakers included Mr. Håkan Kingstedt, chairman of
Swedish India Business Council and former CEO of Sandvik India
who spoke on the subject of ‘Why Care about India?’ and
Mr. Gustav Wennerblom from Business Sweden presently based
in Bangalore, who informed the audience about ‘Business
Opportunities and Trends in India’. The last speaker was
Mr. Gaurav Gupta from TechMahindra Ltd, Europe office in
London who gave a presentation on “Leveraging ‘Make in India’
benefits”.
The event was well-attended with representatives from Saab
Dynamics AB, Sectra AB, Cybaero AB, SenionLab AB and Avionics
AB among others.
The Governor hosted a dinner for the speakers and the invitees
after the seminar.
Ambassador met Mr. Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of
Ericsson at his office on 29 April 2015. Mr. Arun Bansal, Senior
Vice President (Head of Business Unit Radio) and Mr. Ulf
Pehrsson, Vice President (Government & Industry Relations)
were also present during the meeting. Ambassador thanked
Mr. Vestberg for sparing time for this meeting and briefed him
about the ‘Make in India’ programme launched by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on September 24, 2014 and the 'Smart
Cities' and 'Digital India' mission that were launched at the same
time. She suggested that Ericsson could play a major role in
these programmes. For example, Ericsson could collaborate with
other Swedish and Indian companies to develop a Smart City
project in which Ericsson could do the digital planning. This
would make it possible for Indian and Swedish companies which
have relevant technologies to create a Swedish Smart City in
India like the Symbio City in Hammarby Sjöstad.
Ambassador also requested Mr. Vestberg to explore the idea of
opening an Ericsson Institute of Technology. This could help
increase the supply of well-trained Engineers who could meet
the requirements of Indian and Swedish companies, in India,
Sweden and in the rest of the world.
Mr. Vestberg informed the Ambassador that he would be
visiting India later in the year. He said that India is the third
H.E. the Ambassador Mrs. Banashri Bose Harrison and Mr. Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson
Ambassador meets President and
CEO of Ericsson
17
largest market in the world for Ericsson and a major focus
country.
Before leaving, the Ambassador was showed the model of the
Global ICT Centre by Mr. Arun Bansal. At present they have
three such Centres - two in Sweden namely Rosersberg and
Linköping and the third in Quebec in Canada. Ambassador
expressed the hope that Ericsson would set such an ICT Centre
in India one day, sooner rather than later!
The Indian students at the Blekinge Technical Institute (BTH)
organized yet another successful India Day on May 12th, 2015.
Ambassador Banashri Bose Harrison was one of the chief guests
of the event along with the Mayor of the City, Mr. Patrik
Hansson and the Governor, H.E. Ms. Berit Andnor Bylund. The
programme included informative sessions on India including
exhibitions of art work by the students and panels prepared by
them which provided data of different aspects of India including
its different States and important programmes like ‘Make in
India’. There was also an opportunity to try different Indian
attires as also to taste Indian snacks, both proved to be very
popular. The India Day concluded with a highly appreciated
cultural programme which included classical and folk dance and
music as well as Bollywood dances, a short movie made by the
students and a fashion show.
Earlier in the day, the kick-off of the project ‘Partnership for
Industries and International Studies’ took place in which
representatives of a number of companies participated including
ABB, Atlas Copco, SAAB, CSC and Compuver. This was followed
by a press conference and a Lunch Round Table meeting with
local industry representatives connected with the project. The
project’s objective is to enhance the employability of foreign
students of BTH, including the talented young people from India.
Vice Chancellor Mr. Anders Hederstierna was present in all the
programme of the day.
On June 10, Ambassador of India Banashri Bose Harrison visited
the prestigious National Library of Sweden located in
Humlegården in Stockholm and spent two hours there. They
were welcomed by Mr. Johannes Rudberg, Head of Division of
Collection and Research Development, Mr. Janis Kreslins, senior
India Day celebrated at Blekinge
Technical Institute
Ambassador Visits The National
Library of Sweden
18
Governor Ms. Berit Andnor Bylund tries out a saree. Also in the photo Ambassador Harrison and Mr. Gurudutt Kumar Velpula, Project Director, India Relations, BTH
Academic Librarian for Research Affairs, Ms. Enrica Hallvarsson
Head of the Foreign Languages Department and Mr. Amit
Rathod , an Indian Origin staff member.
They were taken around the beautiful building including the
exquisite old Reading room. They were privileged to be shown
some highlights of the collection relating to India including: the
earliest map of India dating from 1550 created by Gastaldi,
another map on Tranquebar from the 1720s drawn by the
Lutherans and a third map which was a copy of a 19th century
map originally drawn by James Rennell, well-known as the
‘Father of the Indian Survey’; which was very interesting as it
was probably drawn by a British officer as part of his training.
They were also shown Bibles printed in India in the Konkani
language and one in Sanskrit. They also viewed a Bhagwad Gita
printed in France. A gem that was shown to them was a lovely
guide of Indian Sceneries by a British officer James Grindlay from
1818 where all the illustrations were hand painted.
After the visit, the Ambassador and Mr. Harrison were hosted by
Ms Gunilla Hardenberg, the National Librarian and they
discussed the possibilities of cooperation between the National
Libraries of the two countries.
Dr. Raghuram Rajan, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
visited Stockholm on June 24 to give the Keynote address at the
macroprudential policy conference organised by the Riksbank,
the Central Bank of Sweden. In the afternoon, he gave a talk at
the Stockholm School of Economics. The event was organized by
the Indian Embassy under the India Unlimited platform, in
collaboration with Business Sweden and Sweden India Business
Council.
In her opening remarks, Ambassador Bose Harrison cited the
recent UN report on World Economic State and Prospects, which
had confirmed that India was presently the fastest growing
economy in the world and mentioned that the analyst who had
prepared the report had credited this achievement to the
policies of the government and the central bank moving in the
right direction.
Dr. Rajan began his address by summarizing the situation
prevailing in the Indian economy in 2013 and the factors that led
to the sharp decline in the Rupee. He pointed out that Indian
authorities were able to identify the reasons for the crisis and to
address them within a short period. He argued that the results
of the last elections in India had shown that people wanted
The welcoming team with the Ambassador in the reading room
Governor of Reserve Bank of India's
visit to Stockholm
Dr. Raghuram Rajan, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
H.E. the Ambassador Mrs. Banashri Bose Harrison
19
stability and steady growth. The government had responded by
taking a number of measures to make this happen, including
building up infrastructure. He invited Swedish companies to look
closely at the opportunities to invest in infrastructure which held
a huge potential.
A lively question and answer session followed which was
moderated by Mr. Klaes Eklund, Chief Economist at SEB and
Advisor to Sweden India Business Council. Thereafter, the hun-
dred plus audience which included representatives from busi-
nesses, banks, academia and media enjoyed refreshments which
gave them a taste of India.
Sweden's Infrastructure, Minister Ms. Anna Johansson led a
delegation to India from March 29 to April 2, 2015. On April 1,
India's Urban Development Minister,, Mr.Venkaiah Naidu met
them and gave an overview of the policy framework and other
initiatives of his Ministry. He said the Urban development
Ministry is undertaking three important projects at the moment.
"One is the Smart City Project, second is rejuvenation of 500
cities with more than 1 lakh population and the third is develop-
ing heritage cities," he said.
Minister Naidu also touched upon the massive ‘Housing for All'
scheme which targets construction of houses for all by 2022. He
also highlighted his Ministry's priorities for enhancing the public
transportation system using Metro Rail and modern buses.
Speaking on the occasion, the Swedish Minister Ms. Anna
Johansson said that Government of Sweden is willing to
cooperate in the Smart City Project and India's sustainable urban
development initiatives. Both the sides agreed to have further
informal meetings to discuss the modalities before a formal Joint
Working Group is formed.
Minister Naidu suggested possible areas of cooperation such as
sustainable and integrated urban planning and land use,
integrated solid waste management, sustainable transport
systems, water and sanitation management, Smart City and ICT
applications, twinning of cities and transfer of green
technologies. His Swedish counterpart responded that the
government of Sweden is willing to cooperate in all these areas.
SWEDEN IN INDIA
Sweden's Infrastructure Minister
Ms Anna Johansson visits India
The Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu meeting the Minister for Infrastructure
of Sweden, Ms. Anna Johansson,
20
Immediately after the successful first ever State visit by the
President of India to Sweden, the Swedish Minister of Defence,
Mr. Peter Hultqvist visited India from 9th to 12th June 2015.
On the first day of the visit, he was accorded a ceremonial Guard
of Honour. He also visited India Gate where he paid homage at
the Gallant Soldiers’ memorial, Amar Jawan Jyoti. During the day
the Swedish Defence Minister held talks with representatives
from the Indian government and also met his Indian counterpart
Mr. Manohar Parrikar. The two Ministers discussed issues of
mutual interests concerning bilateral defence cooperation and
the regional security scenario. They also exchanged views on
rising scourge of terrorism and agreed to cooperate in this
regard. The issue of participation of Swedish firms in defence
manufacturing in India under the 'Make-in-India' initiative was
also discussed. The two sides agreed to continue to explore
opportunities for enhancing cooperation between defence
establishments of both sides in mutually agreed areas.
Mr. Hultqvist also travelled to the Southern city of Bengaluru on
11th June where, apart from an interaction with the Chief
Minister of Karnataka, he visited the Defence Public Sector
Enterprises like the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
Before the visit of the Minister Peter Hultqvist to India, the
Ambassador had paid a courtesy call on him at the Swedish
Ministry of Defence on May 4, 2015. The Minister spoke with
satisfaction about the strong historical relations that the two
countries enjoyed. He mentioned that the forthcoming visit by
the President of India, which also happens to be the first ever
Head of State visit from India to Sweden, is indeed an important
milestone in Indo-Sweden relationship. The Ambassador
thanked the minister for the meeting and assured him that India
considers Sweden, a very important friend and a reliable partner
who has always supported India's Security requirements. She
also hoped that Sweden would continue supporting India as a
partner in its ambitious "Make in India" programme.
Swedish Defence Minister Peter
Hultqvist on a visit to India
21
Ambassador Banashri Bose Harrison visited Riga on Friday,
March 28, 2015 for a number of important meetings. The visit
started with a breakfast meeting to discuss the possible ways in
which modern medicine system could be combined with
traditional medicine systems of India, particularly Ayurveda and
Yoga so as to benefit the patients. Prof. Dr. Valdis Pirags, Faculty
of Medicine, University of Latvia and Dr. Sigma Ankrava, Acting
Director of Centre for Indian Studies and Culture, University of
Latvia informed the Ambassador about the success of the new
module launched recently for this purpose. Dr. Somit, an Indian
Ayurvedic Expert from Arya Vaidya Chikitsalayam & Research
Institute, Coimbatore with which the University of Latvia had
signed a MoU last year, said that there was a growing interest in
Ayurveda in Latvia, as reflected in the fact that the course he
had just begun to teach had already attracted 43 students. He
told her that he would be taking about 30 of them to India for
two months on a study visit to gain practical knowledge. He also
informed Ambassador that the Latvian University is planning to
open a ‘Centre of Research for Complementary Medicine’ which
will do research on the effects on Diabetes of combining
traditional medicine and modern medicine.
The meeting was joined by Mr. Astitva Ginters, Yoga Expert and
Ms. Premal Madina, Oddisi Dancer, teacher and Choreographer
in Riga. The Ambassador informed the participants in the
meeting that at India’s initiative, the United Nations had
declared June 21 to be the “International Yoga Day”. She sought
their assistance in celebrating this day appropriately in Riga, and
briefed them on the vision of the Indian government. Later in
the day Ambassador visited the University of Latvia and
interacted with the students studying Ayurveda and spoke to
them about the importance of Ayurveda in the modern day.
The second programme was a seminar on ‘Promotion of Indian
Agriculture Products’ which was organized for the second time
by the Embassy in collaboration with the Indo-Latvian Chamber
of Commerce (ILCC) and Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), India. The
President of ILCC, Mr. Kartik Desai, welcomed the guests and
read out the Latvian Minister of Agriculture’s speech which was
followed by a short film made by the Public Diplomacy division
entitled ‘India – A Profile’. Thereafter the Ambassador gave a
presentation on India’s agricultural sector. She spoke about
India’s enormous potential in these areas. She informed the
audience that India is exploring the benefits and feasibility of
INDIA IN LATVIA
Ambassador Harrison visits Riga
for important meetings
22
planning to build a cold storage in Riga Port to make Riga as a
hub for Indian products.
Then the Ambassador invited H.E. Mr. Atis Lejins, Member of
Parliament and Co-Chairman of India-Latvia Friendship Group to
address the audience. Mr. Lejins talked about the warmth of
the relations between Latvia and India and thanked the
Ambassador for organizing such an event which would promote
further bilateral cooperation between the two countries and
said that he is looking forward to getting Indian Basmati Rice in
Latvian markets. He further said that he would be visiting India
shortly at the invitation of the Indian Council of Cultural
Relations and said that he and his wife were looking forward to
this visit. The next speaker was Mr. Peter Odintsov, a Member
of the Council of Norvik Bank. In his address, Mr. Odintsov
mentioned that this was an historic opportunity for Latvia with
the Prime Ministership of Modi Government so keen to further
enhance international trade and business relations. He stressed
that Latvia is the best transit/distribution center to CIS/Northern
European countries. He told the audience that the Norvik Bank is
trying to build Indian export and import communities and he
had himself visited India and witnessed the quality of
production. He said that India produces very quality products
but lacks packing capability while Latvia has very good technolo-
gy in packing. If Indian products are exported to Latvia, Latvia
would help in packing in smaller quantities as required to further
export to CIS and other European countries. He mentioned that
the Norvik Bank and eromar Cargo Services are doing feasibility
study with APEDA to build cold storages in Riga. They planned
to have 6000 sq.mtr for this purpose, equally divided for cold
storage, temperature control and for warehouses. During the
visit of a delegation from the APEDA to Riga, they would finalize
the plans for construction of an APEDA certified Riga Export Hub
facility. The audiences were shown many Indian agricultural
products and given a taste of rich aromatic Indian tea and coffee
and Indian food.
Ambassador’s programme ended with a meeting with Ms. Judite
Dobele, Head of Department of Asia and Oceania in the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. They discussed bilateral matters as well as
India’s participation in the forthcoming ASEM meetings.
An international scientific forum, ‘Fostering Latvia-India
Cooperation’, dedicated to cooperation between Latvia and
India in the field of research, education and medical business
Latvia-India international science
forum with Focus on Ayurveda
23
was inaugurated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The forum
brought together researchers, experts and others interested in
various academic fields, including linguists, experts in culture
and religion, Ayurveda practitioners, environmental researchers
from Latvia, India, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Russia, Lithuania, the
UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Spain.
At the opening of the forum, Viktors Makarovs, Advisor to the
Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasised the traditionally
close and dynamic relations between Latvia and India. Earlier
this year, the Embassy of Latvia was opened in New Delhi,
thereby increasing Latvia’s presence in India and offering
significant support for Latvia’s universities and businesses. At
the opening session, Dr. P. Ram Manohar, Director and Chief
Scientific Officer of the AVP Research Foundation, an Ayurvedic
research institute from Coimbatore, presented ideas on the
integration of Ayurveda into biomedical practices. The scientific
forum’s lectures and events continued on 30th May at the
University of Latvia, Turiba University and Pauls Stradins
Museum of the History of Medicine. The participation of an
official delegation from the Indian Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda,
Yoga, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathy) was deeply appreciated by
the organizers.
The scientific forum is the initiative of Prof. Sigma Ankrava, Head
of the Centre for Indian Studies and Culture at the University of
Latvia, and was organised in cooperation with the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Latvian and Indian universities.
Ms. Vrinda Sarup, State Secretary in the Department of School
Education & Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development
led a 3-member Indian Delegation to Riga for the 5th ASEM
Education Ministers' Meeting on 27-28 April, 2015. Other
members of the delegation were Prof. Ved Prakash, Chairman,
University Grant Commission and Shri Rakesh Ranjan, Joint
Secretary in the Ministry. Besides participating in the ASEM
meeting, the delegation also held bilateral discussions with
officials of the Latvian Ministry of Education.
The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated at the century
-old 15-hectare Botanical Garden of University of Latvia in Riga
on 21 June 2015. The event, which was jointly inaugurated by
the Rector of the Latvian University; the Latvian Foreign Ministry
Education delegation to Riga
Celebration of International Day
of Yoga in Latvia
24
First Secretary for Asia, Africa and Oceania Division; and the First
Secretary of the Indian Embassy, included performances of Yoga,
Indian classical music and dance; talks on Yoga and Ayurveda in
English and Latvian languages to mainly underscore the
importance and relevance of Yoga and Ayurveda in the modern
world for healthy living.
19 Yoga schools (out of the 45 official Yoga schools in Latvia)
participated in the event. The Art of Living also took part in the
event. About 15 stalls and camps were put up which promoted
healthcare items and services, including Yoga and meditation.
OV 1000 persons visited the venue. Despite being partially
affected in the afternoon due to rain, performances continued
on the covered stage and spectators held onto their grounds
under the shelter of umbrellas, raincoats and Yoga mats to enjoy
the high quality informative performances throughout the day.
With the help of the Indian Embassy, the India tourism office,
Frankfurt and Ministry of Tourism a Tourism Roadshow in Riga
was organised on 6th July, 2015 to promote travel to India.
Mr. Girish Shankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism
was the keynote Speaker. Participants from India included 18
tour operators from India as well as a representative from Air
India, Frankfurt Office. Around 30 tour operators with offices in
Riga and nearby attended and had meetings with the Indian tour
operators. The programme started with a brief introduction by
Ms. Roma Singh, Regional Director, India Tourism Office
Frankfurt followed by a presentation by Mr. Girish Shankar,
Additional Secretary on the many attractions of India as a
tourism destination for all seasons. Mr. Vinay Sharma, Acting
Head of Visa and Consular Wing in the Indian Embassy in
Stockholm briefed the attendees about the visa procedures
including the recent introduction of Electronic Visa on Arrival for
Latvian passport holders travelling to India for tourism or casual
business. The event concluded with an Indian cultural
performance, a buffet dinner and a lucky draw for trips to
India. The Roadshow succeeded in generating interest among
the travel community in Latvia to look at India as a tourism
destination.
India Tourism Roadshow in Riga
25
The Prime Minister visited France, Germany and Canada from 9 to
16 April 2015. All the three are highly industrialised democracies
with which there is a significant potential for deepening the political
and economic partnership.
France
The visit to France started with a ceremonial welcome in the
morning of 10th April followed by two back to back roundtables –
one with French CEOs with infrastructure as a theme, and the
second with French CEOs with defence technology as a theme. The
discussions focused on French participation in the ‘Make in India’
mission of Prime Minister’ Modi.
The Prime Minister then gave an address at the United Nations
Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) where he
praised the organisation for its many initiatives to preserve the
world cultural heritage, including in India.
The next day, Prime Minister Modi met President Hollande and also
had delegation level talks. The two leaders held wide ranging
discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues reflecting their
convergence in world views. They reaffirmed their commitment to
the strategic partnership and agreed to further deepen and
strengthen bilateral ties based on shared principles and values
relating to democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human
rights. Government of India conveyed to the Government of France
that it would like to acquire 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition at
the earliest in view of the critical operational necessity for a
Multirole Combat Aircraft for Indian Air Force. The two leaders
agreed to conclude an Inter-Governmental Agreement for supply of
the aircraft as part of a separate process.The Prime Minister also
visited the Airbus facilities and the French space company CNES in
Toulouse. Several agreements in the area of Defence, Nuclear
energy, Space, Culture, Sports, Railways, Tourism, Skill
Development and Technology were signed during the visit. A
commemorative joint stamp to mark 50 years of cooperation in the
space sector was also released during the visit.
In the context of ongoing commemoration of the First World War in
the two countries, President Hollande recalled the sacrifices made
by Indian soldiers who gave up their lives a century ago fighting for
France’s freedom. Prime Minister Modi also visited the Memorial at
Neuve Chapelle in France which was built in the memory of martyrs
and heroes from India who fought on the western front.
INDIA IN WORLD
Prime Minister Modi Visits France,
Germany and Canada
Prime Minister inspecting the Guard of Honour
Prime Minister meeting with the German CEOs at Hannover
26
Germany
On the second leg of his three-nation tour during, PM Modi visited
Germany for a on 12th and 13th April. Again, the focus was on
obtaining Germany's support for the 'Make in India' campaign. The
visit started with the Hannover Fair where India is a partner country
this year. About 400 Indian companies participated in the fair.
About 100-120 Indian CEOs attended the event along with nearly
3000 German delegates.
The Prime Minister and Chancellor Angela Merkel jointly
inaugurated the ‘India Pavilion’. Both leaders spoke in favour of a
free trade agreement between the European Union and India.
Prime Minister Modi emphasized that this was important for the
expansion of India as a manufacturing hub. The joint statement by
both countries, among other things, established a joint working
group on urban development. The Indian Prime Minister promised
to set up a mechanism to help German companies invest and do
business in India — something that has been done only for Japan
and the US so far. In his address, at the Indo-German Business
Summit, the Prime Minister highlighted the Government of India’s
efforts to create an environment that was business friendly and
where approvals for industry were dealt at a much faster pace. He
also unveiled the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Hannover and
spoke about how Gandhiji had been a source of inspiration for the
entire world.
The Prime Minister also visited a railway station in Berlin keeping in
view his government’s agenda of modernising Indian Railways. He
also visited the Siemens facility there. While addressing a diaspora
event in Berlin, PM Modi said that India would lead the way in
dealing with climate change. The two countries also agreed to
strengthen educational exchanges along with collaborations
between universities.
Canada
The last destination of this tour was Canada which the Prime
Minister visited from 14th to 16th April. This was the first bilateral
visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Canada in 42 years. During the
visit, apart from his official interaction with Prime Minister Harper
and the Governor General of Ottawa, The Right Honourable David
Johnston, Prime Minister Modi interacted with the business and
commercial leadership in Toronto as well as the Indo-Canadian
community in both Toronto and Vancouver.
Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Harper held detailed
discussions to review the full spectrum of bilateral relations and
exchanged perspectives on a range of regional and international
issues of mutual interest. They noted the historic significance of
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada in advancing bilateral ties to a
Joint inauguration of India Pavilion with Chancellor Merkel
Prime Minister with Chancellor Merkel addressing a Joint
Press Conference
Prime Minister meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen
Harper in Ottawa
Prime Minister meeting with His Excellency David Johnston,
Governor General of Canada in Ottawa
27
strategic partnership and take it to a new level which could be
described as “New Vigour: New Steps”. During the visit, thirteen
agreements on skill development were signed reflecting the Indian
government’s commitment to empower the youth of India with
world class skills not only for India but for the global economy. The
visit also saw the signing of the agreement on procurement of
uranium from Canada for India’s civilian nuclear power plants along
with MoUs in areas of Space, Civil Aviation and Railways.
Additionally, various areas in the field of Defence and Security were
also identified for joint development and manufacturing.
At the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee, Dr. Mohammad
Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan paid
a State visit to India from 27-29 April, 2015. This was the first visit
of President Ghani to India after assuming the Presidency in
September 2014. The visit reflected the continuation of the
tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries
established since 2002. Vice President Md. Hamid Ansari and
senior members of government called on the President of
Afghanistan.
President Ghani's program in India also included an address at the
historical Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and a meeting with
members of India's leading Chambers of Commerce.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra
Modi also held extensive discussions to review bilateral cooperation
activities and the international regional security environment
confronting both countries. Both leaders reaffirmed their
commitment to patiently and systematically work towards
strengthening of the India Afghanistan Strategic Partnership, with a
clear focus on the long term relationship between the two
countries. President Ghani recognized the special role that India is
playing in Afghanistan's reconstruction efforts through its capacity
building programs and stated that the new Afghan Parliament will
stand as a testimony to the friendship between the two
democracies. He also welcomed India's decisions to provide support
to the Habibia School, located in Kabul, and to support a program of
the 'Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) in Kabul and its
contribution to the Afghan Red Crescent Society's program to treat
Child Congenital Heart disease (CHD disease).
Prime Minister addressing at the Diaspora event in Toronto
State Visit of President of Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan to India
President Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, laying the wreath
at Rajghat
President Ghani with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
28
On the invitation of President Putin, to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Day celebrated to mark the victory of Russia
in the Second World War, President Pranab Mukherjee visited
Moscow from 7th to 10th May. This was the President’s first visit to
Russia as the Head of State. Interestingly, he was the designated
representative of the Government of India to attend the 50th
anniversary celebrations in 1995.
The President was accompanied by the Minister of State for
Railways Shri Manoj Sinha and Senior Officials. He also had a
delegation of Vice Chancellors and Heads of national institutes with
him. For the main event of the visit, the Victory celebration, a
75-member Indian Army contingent from the Grenadiers
participated in the military parade in Moscow.
During the visit, the President held a bilateral meeting with
President Putin. He also had a separate meeting with Rectors of
important Russian universities and Vice Chancellors of important
Indian universities at the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The
President was conferred an honorary Doctorate by the Diplomatic
Academy of Russia.
Nine agreements were concluded during the visit. One related to
cooperation in the area of science and technology, the other eight
were between institutes of higher education.
The President also inaugurated the Namaste Russia cultural festival
during his visit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a three-nation visit to China,
Mongolia and Republic of Korea from 14th to 19th May , 2015.
China
Even though Prime Minister Modi had visited China earlier in when
he was the Chief Minister of Gujrat, this visit was his first as the
Prime Minister. The visit began in Xian, the home town of President
Xi Jinping. The Prime Minister had a summit meeting with
President Xi in Xian and also visited some places of cultural interest
in Xian. From Xian, the Prime Minister travelled to Beijing where he
was formally welcomed by Premier Li Keqiang. The two delegations
had wide-ranging talks and a number of agreements were signed in
sectors like mining, railways, education, Space cooperation,
Tourism, Ocean Sciences, Ocean Technology, Climate Change, Polar
Science and Cryosphere. Prime Minister Modi visited Tsinghua
University where he addressed a gathering. A noteworthy part of
the Beijing visit was the first ever meeting of the India-China State
and Provincial Leaders’ Forum in which Indian and Chinese Chief
Grenadier Regiment of Indian Army at the Victory Day Parade
Addressing the gathering at the Diplomatic Academy of Rus-
sia where he was awarded an honorary doctorate
Prime Minister Modi with President Xi Jinping in Xian
Signing of various agreements in Beijing
President Pranab Mukherjee’s Visit
to Moscow
Prime Minister's Visits to China,
Mongolia and South Korea
29
Ministers and Mayors participated. The last stop was Shanghai,
where the focus was primarily economic. The Prime Minister
interacted with with Chinese CEOs and also addressed a business
gathering. Some business agreements were signed which, among
others, related to the setting up of Industrial parks and Solar and
Thermal power projects. The Prime Minister inaugurated a Centre
for Gandhian Studies at the Fudan University.
The visit held strategic significance, coming within the first year of
Prime Minister Modi's term. Many issues related to Defence, Trade
and Economic were taken up during the visit. On the sensitive
boundary question, both sides agreed to continue exploring a fair,
reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution and to make all
efforts for maintaining peace and tranquility in the border region.
The opening of two new consulates in Chengdu and Chennai was
announced.
Mongolia
The first stop for the Prime Minister was the Gandan Monastery
where he made the highly symbolic gift of a Bodhi Tree sapling to
the Chief Abbott of the Monastery. This was followed by talks with
the Prime Minister of Mongolia. The Prime Minister also addressed
the Mongolian parliament, which was a rare honour as this was the
first time the Parliament of Mongolia had a foreign leader
addressing the members on a holiday.
The Prime Minister met the President of Mongolia who hosted a
luncheon banquet in his honour. The Prime Minister attended
a mini version of the traditional Naadam festival which includes
a display of horse racing, traditional wrestling and archery. A
foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister for a proposed
Information Technology Centre which India will set up in Mongolia.
Numerous agreements were signed during the day long visit
including in the fields of application of nuclear technology for curing
of cancer in the National Cancer Centre of Mongolia, cooperation in
solar and wind energy, traditional systems of medicine and
homeopathy and setting up a joint Indo-Mongolian School in Ulan
Bator.
The visit was the first ever visit of Indian Prime Minister to
Mongolia and took place against the backdrop of celebration of the
25th year of democracy in Mongolia and 60 years of establishment
of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Republic of Korea
The Prime Minister who arrived in the Republic of Korea on the
18th of May had bilateral engagements and also participated in the
6th Asian Leadership Conference, organised by the Chosun Ilbo
group. Prime Minister Modi and Korean President Park Geun-hye
held substantive discussions in areas of mutual interest. They
welcomed the rapid expansion and diversification of bilateral ties in
recent years.
Meeting with Prime Minister Chimed Saikhanbileg of Mongolia
Prime Minister trying his hand at Archery during the Nadaam festival
Prime Minister at the Wreath Laying Ceremony, in Seoul National Cemetery
30
In line with his Ganga Rejuvenation Plan, the Prime Minister also
visited the Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul, which is a stream that
was cleaned up and is now a model for similar projects around the
world.
On the business side, the Prime Minister along with President Park
Geun-hye attended an India-Republic of Korea CEOs Forum,
followed by meetings with the CEOs of top Korean companies that
have invested or are interested in investing in India. In view of the
long standing cooperation in Shipping, the Prime Minister also
visited Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan. A number of
agreements were signed including the Double Taxation Avoidance
Convention as well as for cooperation in the areas of shipping and
logistics, audiovisual coproduction, transport, highways, electric
power development were signed.
In the Joint statement for the Special Strategic Partnership, both
sides announced far reaching agreements in the field of Defence
and Security including annual summit meetings, Joint Commissions
led by Foreign Minister, increased military to military interaction
and the establishment of a joint Vice Ministerial level defence and
foreign affairs dialogue in the "2+2" Format.
The visit was very important in view of the strong economic
cooperation between India and Republic of Korea. India sees the
Republic Of Korea as an indispensable partner in its "Act East"
strategy. Bilateral trade between the two countries is about USD 16
billion. There are 300 Korean companies who invested about USD 3
billion in India and employ about 40,000 workers. Similarly, Indian
investments in Republic of Korea is close to USD 2 billion, with the
industry looking forward to greater access in the Republic of Korea
to pharmaceutical and IT products.
President Pranab Mukherjee paid a State visit to Belarus from 2nd
to 4th June. The visit immediately followed the President's visit to
Sweden, and as in the case of Sweden, was the first ever State visit
by an Indian President to Belarus.
The President was accompanied by the Minister of State for
Chemicals and Fertilisers Shri Hansraj Gangara m Ahir, as well as
Members of Parliament Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of
Opposition in the Upper House and Shri Ashwani Kumar. A large
Indian business delegation of around 120 persons as well as an
Educational delegation comprising several Vice Chancellors
accompanied the President and held discussions with their
counterparts as well as concluded many agreements.
The Prime Minister of Belarus, Andrei V. Kobyakov called on the
President as well as the Chairman of the Council and the Chairman
of the House of Representatives, the two Houses of the National
Prime Minister and President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye at the
delegation level talks
Prime Minister addressing the CEOs Forum and Business Meet
in Seoul
President at the luncheon Banquet hosted by the President
Alexander Lukashenko, of Belarus
State Visit by President of India to
Belarus
31
Assembly of Belarus.
The two Presidents addressed a joint business conference on June
4th which also marked the formal launching of the Grodno-II Power
Project which has been refurbished by BHEL with the help of a line
of credit of USD 55 million from India. Five MoUs and agreements
were signed related to cooperation in textiles, standardization, cap-
ital markets and broadcasting.
The President also unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Bela-
rus State University, where he was also honoured with a Professor
of honoris causa degree by the University.
The Prime Minister of India paid a State visit to Bangladesh from
6th to 7th June at the invitation of H.E. Sheikh Hasina, Prime
Minister of Bangladesh. This visit, was Prime Minister’s first visit to
Bangladesh and reflected the importance attached by India to the
bilateral relationship. The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms Mamta
Banerjee accompanied the Prime Minister. During the visit, Prime
Minister held discussions with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and
also called on the President of Bangladesh Mr. Md. Abdul Hamid.
The visit was a historic one as the centerpiece of the visit was the
conclusion of the long standing Indo-Bangladesh land boundary
agreement with the exchange of exchange of instruments of
ratification of the land boundary agreement 1974 and its 2011
Protocol. With the settlement of the land boundary and the earlier
settlement of the maritime boundary, India and Bangladesh have
completely settled their boundary issues which is an extremely
important development.
Two bus services, namely the Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus service
and the Dhaka-Guwahati-Shillong bus service were flagged off by
the Prime Minister along with the Chief Minister of West Bengal
and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Prime Minister Modi also
received the ‘Bangladesh Liberation War Honour on behalf of the
former Prime Minister of India Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He deeply
appreciated Bangladesh’s initiative to honour the memory of Indian
soldiers who had laid down their lives in Bangladesh’s Liberation
War.
Expressing satisfaction at the utilisation of the first Line of Credit by
Bangladesh, Prime Minister Modi announced a second Line of
Credit worth US$ 2 billion for undertaking various development
projects. The many agreements that were signed during the visit
included the renewal of the Bilateral Trade Agreement along with
MoUs on Blue Economy and Maritime Cooperation in the Bay of
Bengal and the Indian Ocean, Prevention of Smuggling and Circula-
tion of Fake Currency Notes, Human trafficking and Coast Guards,
to name a few.
President paying respect to the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at Belarus University
Prime Minister being received by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
of Bangladesh
Prime Minister with the President of Bangladesh
Prime Minister's Visit to
Bangladesh
The two Prime Ministers and CM of West Bengal flagging of the Bus service
32
On the 8th of July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in in the
city of Ufa, Russia for a three-day visit to attend two key
summits - the seventh meeting of BRICS on the 8th and 9th of July,
followed by a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or
SCO on the 10th of July.
This was the third time that Prime Minister Modi interacted with his
peers in BRICS. He had attended the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza
last year and had participated in the meeting of BRICS leaders in
Brisbane on the margins of the last G20 meeting.
The summit marked the entry into force the BRICS financial
institutions: the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent
Reserves Arrangement (CRA). The Summit also included an
agreement for cooperation in the field of culture and a MoU on a
joint BRICS website.
On the sidelines of the SCO meeting, Prime Minister Modi met
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. The meeting was held in a
cordial atmosphere and two leaders exchanged views on issues of
bilateral and regional interest. Both of them agreed that India and
Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and
promote development. Both leaders condemned terrorism in all its
forms and agreed to cooperate with each other to eliminate this
menace from South Asia.
In the Joint Statement released after the meeting, the two sides
agreed on the following steps:
A meeting in New Delhi between the two NSAs to discuss all
issues connected to terrorism.
Early meetings of DG BSF and DG Pakistan Rangers followed by
that of DGMOs.
Decision for release of fishermen in each other’s custody, along
with their boats, within a period of 15 days.
A Mechanism for facilitating religious tourism.
Both sides agreed to discuss ways and means to expedite the
Mumbai case trial, including additional information like
providing voice samples.
In conjunction with his visit to Ufa, Russia for the 7th BRICS summit
and the 15th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in
Ufa, Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited five Central Asian
Countries, namely Uzbekistan and Kazakhistan before the Summit
(6th to 8th July) and Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan after
the Summit (10th to 12th July ).
This was the first visit of any Indian prime minister to the Central
Prime Minister with other BRICS leaders at the 7th BRICS summit
Prime Minister Modi Visits Ufa, Russia
for the 7th BRICS and SCO Summit
Prime Minister's Visit to Central
Asian Countries
33
Asian countries simultaneously since they became independent in
1991.
Uzbekistan
The Prime Minister arrived at Tashkent on 6th July and was
received by the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Miromono-
vich Mirziyoyev, who accompanied Prime Minister Modi for the
entire duration of this visit. He also had a meeting with President
Islam Karimov. Thereafter the two leaders met in a delegation-level
format. Welcoming the first ever visit by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to Uzbekistan, President Karimov noted that strengthening
relations with India is one of the top foreign policy priorities of
Uzbekistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emphasized that a
strong strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan is a key
pillar of India’s engagement with Central Asia.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi had interaction with
Indologists and Hindi language students. Tashkent is one of the
leading centres of Indology in the world.
Kazakhistan
Prime Minister Modi visited Kazakhistan on 7-8 July and met with
President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Massimov in
Astana. The two sides inked five agreements, in defence, railways
and uranium supply, sports and transfer of sentenced prisoners. In
the joint statement issued during the visit, the two leaders noted
the rising challenge posed by terrorism in many parts of the world
and in their immediate region and underlined the importance of a
stable and secure environment for peaceful economic
development. They agreed to continue their active engagement in
the fight against terrorism and extremism including exchange of
information.
The Prime Minister gave an important address at the Nazarbayev
University, where he dwelt on the historic linkages as well as on the
possibilities of taking the relations to an entirely new level keeping
in view the development potential and programme and possibilities
that exist between India and the Central Asian countries. The Prime
Minister also inaugurated the Indian-Kazakh Centre for Excellence
in Information and Communication Technology which houses a
PARAM supercomputer gifted by India. The Prime Minister also
attended a business event with leading CEOs from both sides.
Apart from identifying a number of areas for closer economic
linkages and trade, such as hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals,
healthcare, fertilizers and so on; the two Prime Ministers formally
launched the drilling in the Satpayev Block in the Caspian Sea by
India’s leading Oil & Natural Gas Company ONGC Videsh Limited.
Turkmenistan
The Prime Minister arrived at Ashgabat, the capital of Tukmenistan
on 10th July. He held extensive discussions with President
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan on bilateral
relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual
Prime Minister with President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan at Presidential
Complex in Uzbekistan
Prime Minister meeting with Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Karim Massimov
in Astana
Prime Minister and President of Kazakhstan at the Joint Press Conference
in Astana
34
interest. The two Leaders expressed satisfaction at the continued
development of bilateral relations based on deep-rooted
civilizational, historical and cultural linkages and a shared interest in
international as well as regional peace and stability.
In Turkmenistan Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Centre for
Traditional Medicine and Yoga. This is the first such centre that is
going to be set up in this entire region with the participation of the
Turkmen Government. Two Agreements for cooperation in the
field of Defence and sports were signed along with five other MoUs.
Kyrgyzstan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the capital Bishkek on the
penultimate stop of his Central Asian tour on the night of 11th July.
Notwithstanding the late hour, he was received with full
ceremonies by the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan including a Guard
of Honour. The next day, Prime Minister Modi met with President
of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Almazbek Atambaev.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Almazbek Atambaev
exchanged views on strengthening bilateral relations as well as
regional and international issues of mutual interest. Voicing grave
concern over rising trend of extremism and terrorism worldwide,
India and Kyrgyzstan today signed four Agreements / MoUs. The
two agreements included one to boost defence cooperation and
hold annual joint military exercises and the other to deepen cultural
cooperation between the two sides. The defence agreement also
aims at deepening bilateral cooperation in military education and
training. It also envisages conduct of joint military exercises,
exchange of experience and information, and exchange of military
observers and instructors besides others. Two MoUs were also
signed for cooperation between the Election Commissions of the
two countries and on cooperation in the sphere of Standards, a
move that will help economic relations.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan marked the last leg of Prime Minister Modi’s eight-day
tour of the five Central Asian Republics and Russia. He arrived at
Dushanbe on the evening of 12th July where he was received by
Prime Minister Rasulzoda.
Prime Minister Modi held wide ranging discussions on bilateral,
regional and international issues with the President of Tajikistan,
H.E. Mr Emomali Rahmon. The two leaders expressed satisfaction
at the excellent relations between India and Tajikistan. They noted
that ties between their countries are based on shared history and
cultural affinities between their people. The two leaders reaffirmed
their commitment to take all necessary steps to transform bilateral
relations into a multi-faceted strategic partnership for the mutual
benefit of the people of both their countries. Expressing
satisfaction at ongoing defence cooperation, which remains one of
the main pillars of partnership between the two countries, the two
leaders decided to reinvigorate official-level interactions in the
Prime Minister meeting with President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan
Prime Minister calls on President Almazbek Atambayev of the
Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkekmir Sariyev
Prime Minister inspecting the Gurard of Honour at the
Ceremonial Welcome at Qasr-e-Millat in Dushanbe
35
framework of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism
for strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism and
instructed that the JWG meet at an early date.
A Programme of Cooperation (POC) between Ministries of Culture
of India and Tajikistan in the field of Culture for the years 2016-18
was signed. The POC envisages cooperation in the field of culture
through exchange of expertise in protection, preservation and
promotion of cultural heritage in both countries, exchange of
information and experts and organization of cultural days in each
other’s countries for greater cultural understanding between the
countries.
36