Lisbon, Apr 8 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu Tuesday said the role of the Indian diaspora has become more important in the changing global scenario as she assured the Indian community in Portugal that the government was committed to further strengthening its ties with them and ensuring their welfare.
Addressing the Indian community here at the end of her two-day State Visit to Portugal, President Murmu also said that India would become the world’s third-largest economy by the end of the decade.
She said the role of the Indian diaspora in nurturing relations across the globe “becomes more important as we take more responsibilities and work towards solutions to global problems”.
“The Government of India is committed to further strengthening its ties with its diaspora and ensuring their welfare,” she said.
She said that India is on a transformational path, and the initiatives taken by the government over the last 10 years are contributing to governance transformation and mobilising the creative energies of our people.
“The world is seeing with more respect and expectation as we continue to play important leadership roles in the areas of digital economy, technology, innovation, climate change and knowledge economy,” she said.
She said that during her short but extremely fruitful stay in Portugal, she felt the strong cultural ties between India and Portugal, which can be seen in the popularity of Indian art, culture and food, Yoga and Ayurveda.
Earlier, President Murmu met Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and the two leaders held wide-ranging talks and discussed the way forward for further strengthening bilateral relations.
“They agreed that there are greater opportunities for cooperation in many areas, such as trade and commerce, defence, science and technology, and energy,” the president’s office said in a post on X.
She also held talks with José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, the President of the National Assembly, and discussed various bilateral and international issues.
“They were in accord that regular exchanges between the Parliaments of India and Portugal would boost the people-to-people ties between the two countries,” her office said.
During her visit to the assembly, she sighed the Book of Honour.
President Murmu also paid floral tributes at the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi in Lisbon. She also offered prayers at the Radha-Krishna Temple.
President Murmu’s visit to Portugal, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, follows a gap of 27 years since an Indian president last visited. PTI ABS ZH ZH
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