Media statement
by the President upon the conclusion of his visit to Sweden and Belarus en route
from Minsk to New Delhi
Following is the full text
of the statement to media by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee upon
the conclusion of his visit to Sweden and Belarus (from May 31 to June 4, 2015).
The statement was made on board the aircraft during the President’s return to
New Delhi from Minsk:
“I have just concluded successful state visits to
Sweden from 31 May to 2 June and Belarus from 2-4 June, 2015. I was accompanied
by Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers,
Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Shri Ashwini
Kumar, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) as well as senior officials. Heads of
seven leading academic institutions in India accompanied me on the two visits. A
large business delegation of around 120 persons put together by FICCI, CII and
ASSOCHAM also visited Stockholm and Minsk during these days and held discussions
with their counterparts as well as concluded many agreements.
My visits
to Sweden and Belarus were first visits ever by an Indian President to either
country. They reflect the renewed emphasis that India places on further
enhancing our partnership with these two countries. Both countries have been
supportive of India’s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
I took the opportunity to brief both leaderships on the economic situation in
India as well as about policy initiatives of the government.
Sweden is
an important partner with whom we have shared multi-faceted and mutually
beneficial relations over several decades. Combining Swedish resources,
technological expertise and innovation with India’s young and growing market
offers synergies that can spur a fresh phase of growth in our bilateral
relationship. Belarus is a key partner in the wider Eurasian region with many
strengths. India-Belarus relations are based on goodwill among our people for
each other and a positive legacy of cooperation in multilateral fora, including
at the United Nations.
In Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf and the entire
Royal family received me warmly and accompanied me for the entire duration of my
visit. I held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral as well as regional and
multilateral issues with the King and Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. I also met
the Speaker of the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) Mr. Urban Ahlin, Members of
Parliament belonging to different parties and the Leader of Opposition.
The focus of my visit to Sweden was to strengthen bilateral economic
ties and to provide impetus to our cooperation in specific areas of priority to
us in which Sweden has established strengths. Sweden is one of the top three
innovative nations in the world as well as a leader in smart urbanization,
transport and waste management, green technologies, renewable energy, health,
education and research. Six intergovernmental agreements were concluded,
covering cooperation in the fields of urban development, medium and small-scale
enterprises, polar research, civil nuclear research and medicine. Seventeen MoUs
were further signed between educational institutions, think tanks and the
Chambers of Commerce of the two countries.
I also announced Government
of India’s decision to grant Swedish nationals e-tourist visa. This, along with
signature of an Agreement on Diplomatic visa waiver, will facilitate travel
between the two countries and boost people-to-people ties.
In all my
meetings, I found a significant convergence of mutual interests and a genuine
deep-seated desire for closer cooperation. Sweden expressed its support for our
membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime. They also reiterated their
firm support for India’s claim for a permanent seat in an expanded United
Nations Security Council. The Swedish Prime Minister readily agreed to my
suggestion that we seek to enhance our bilateral trade to US $ 5 billion in the
next three years. The Swedish side also expressed their keenness for the
conclusion of negotiations on the India-EU Trade and Investment Agreement.
In Sweden, I had opportunity to interact with the heads of leading
Swedish multinationals. They were uniformly upbeat about their prospects in
India and conveyed their intention to further expand operations and investments.
I attended a presentation by Sweden’s leading medical scientists at the
prestigious Karolinska Institute and addressed the business as well as Indian
community. I also delivered a public lecture on the contemporary relevance to
global peace of Tagore and Mahatma Gandhiji at Uppsala University, one of the
oldest universities of Europe.
I extended invitations to His Majesty The
King and the Prime Minister of Sweden to visit India to provide continued
momentum to the relationship. A formal invitation was also extended to the
Swedish Speaker from our Speaker. In Minsk, I was received warmly by President
Alexander Lukashenko. We held wide-ranging, substantive and forward-looking
discussions on bilateral issues as well as regional developments. President
Lukashenko and I agreed that the time had come to elevate India-Belarus
relations to a higher trajectory, building on the enormous potential in trade
and investment, defence cooperation, science and technology as well as
educational and academic linkages.
I suggested to President Lukashenko
that we engage on a four-fold framework for enhanced cooperation comprising
regular political and institutional dialogue, rapid increase in commercial and
economic interaction, a paradigm shift in defence cooperation towards joint
research, design and manufacturing as well as wide-ranging expansion of our
S&T, educational, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. President
Lukashenko responded positively to my proposals and underlined that Belarus
considers India a partner of choice as well as a reliable and loyal friend. Five
agreements and MOUs were signed, covering cooperation in textiles,
standardization, capital markets and broadcasting. A focused and substantive
Roadmap for India-Belarus Cooperation was also agreed, which identifies specific
areas for closer interaction in the days ahead.
I conveyed the decision
of Government of India to grant Market Economy Status to Belarus, which had been
a long-standing request of the Belarus side. This decision would open up new
avenues for bilateral trade as well as facilitate the integration of Belarus in
international trade structures. India will also extend a new Line of Credit of
US$ 100 million to Belarus for implementation of mutually agreed joint projects,
thereby further deepening our economic ties.
Seven MOUs were signed
between Indian and Belarusian Universities and Institutes. I was honoured to
unveil a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the prestigious Belarus State University
campus. The University conferred upon me Professor Honoris Causa, which I
was pleased to accept as manifestation of the high regard and affection of the
people of Belarus towards India.
I met Prime Minister Andrei V. Kobyakov
and the Chairman of the Council and Chairman of the House of Representatives of
the National Assembly of Belarus. I extended an invitation to President
Lukashenko to visit India, which he accepted with pleasure. President Lukashenko
and I also addressed business representatives from both countries.
There
is increasing awareness on both sides of growing business opportunities,
building on the new focus on manufacturing in India under our ‘Make in India’
initiative as well as the wider market offered by the Eurasian Economic Union
for investors in Belarus. Agricultural machinery, mining equipment, heavy
construction equipment and defence were identified as potential areas for
manufacturing ventures in India. Belarus is keen to see greater Indian
investments in manufacture of pharmaceuticals. Several commercial agreements
have also been concluded. We proposed increasing our trade turnover to US$ 1
billion in the next five years, which should be achievable.
I wish to
thank my hosts for the warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation during
my visits to their respective countries. These visits have helped deepen our
mutually beneficial relations. I return with the conviction that the governments
of both countries are keen to take their bilateral relationship with India to
much higher levels. India will actively work towards enhancing our partnership
with Sweden and Belarus in the days to come”.
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