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 ambassador@indianembassy.se 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

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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

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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

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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

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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