President Murmu, Portuguese Counterpart Agree To Deepen Ties In Trade, Technology, Renewable Energy

<p>Lisbon, Apr 7 (PTI) India and Portugal have agreed to deepen bilateral ties, particularly in trade and investment, renewable energy and connectivity, as President <a title=”Droupadi Murmu” href=”https://news.abplive.com/topic/droupadi-murmu” data-type=”interlinkingkeywords”>Droupadi Murmu</a> and her Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa held talks here on Monday.</p>
<p>During the talks held at the Portuguese President’s official residence, Pal&aacute;cio de Bel&eacute;m, the two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in the United Nations and other multilateral forums.</p>
<p>”We also discussed global and regional issues of common interest. We resolved to build further on our long-standing bilateral ties, especially in trade and investment, science and technology, information and digital technologies, renewable energy, connectivity and mobility, and to promote people-to-people contacts further,” Murmu said.</p>
<p>Her visit comes in the backdrop of significant global economic change, with trade tariffs recently imposed by the US reshaping international commerce and India’s growing engagement with Europe.</p>
<p>Trade between India and Portugal is valued at USD 1.5 billion and has been growing steadily, with a 50 per cent increase over the last five years.</p>
<p>A statement issued after their meeting said the two leaders discussed “all important aspects of our bilateral relationship”.</p>
<p>President Murmu, who is on a two-day State Visit to Portugal, held a tete-a-tete with her Portuguese counterpart followed by delegation-level talks during which all matters pertaining to “mutual interests” were discussed.</p>
<p>”We agreed to strengthen our coordination and cooperation in the United Nations and other multilateral fora,” she said.</p>
<p>The President said she had “a constructive and productive meeting” with President Marcelo Rebelo.</p>
<p>”I was happy to launch jointly with the President of Portugal, the commemorative stamps on the occasion of the golden jubilee of our diplomatic relations,” she said.</p>
<p>The “historic visit” is taking place 27 years after the last visit by an Indian President to Portugal at a time when both countries are celebrating 50 years of re-establishment of diplomatic relations.</p>
<p>The two leaders also jointly released commemorative stamps, beautifully highlighting the vibrant traditional costumes of both countries. The stamps feature a Portuguese woman elegantly dressed in the vivid red ‘Viana do Castelo’ festive attire, alongside an Indian woman adorned in the intricately embroidered Black Kalbelia dress.</p>
<p>Murmu will also meet Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and President of the Parliament Jos&eacute; Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and attend the ceremony of Handing over of keys to the Lisbon Cit at the Lisbon City Council.</p>
<p>President Murmu’s visit to Portugal started on Monday with a ceremonial guard of honour at the iconic Pra&ccedil;a do Imp&eacute;rio square in Lisbon, an expansive rectangular space with passages and green spaces that converge in the central illuminated fountain on a square platform.</p>
<p>The President laid a wreath at the tomb of Lu&iacute;s Vaz de Cam&otilde;es, Portugal&rsquo;s national poet, at the Mosteiro dos Jer&oacute;nimos monastery.</p>
<p>The monastery also houses the tomb of Vasco da Gama, the legendary Portuguese explorer whose legendary voyage to India in 1498 opened maritime routes between Europe and Asia.</p>
<p>The President has several events lined up focussed on engagements with the Indian diaspora, including a community reception.</p>
<p>The Indian community in Portugal numbers approximately 1,25,000, including over 35,000 Indian nationals and 90,000 persons of Indian origin. Portugal has a population of around 10 million.</p>
<p>The community, spread across Lisbon, Algarve, and Porto has become an integral part of Portugal’s social and economic landscape. PTI ABS ZH ZH</p>