Vice President Raquel Peña is in India on an official visit from 3 to 5 October 2023. She met with President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday, 3 October to address bilateral relations and steps to expand cooperation in education, technology, cybersecurity, defense and trade.
In welcoming the Vice President on her first visit to India, President Murmu said the timing of this visit was appropriate as both countries commemorated 25 years of diplomatic relations. The two countries established diplomatic relations on 4 May 1999.
Vice President Peña, on behalf of President Luis Abinader, extended an invitation to President Murmu to visit the country to continue strengthening relations.
President Murmu noted that the Dominican Republic is India’s eighth-largest trading partner in Latin America and the Caribbean. He spoke of his confidence that there is potential to diversify trade further. He mentioned the importance of exchanging experience and expertise in pharmaceuticals, marine sciences, meteorology, disaster-resilient infrastructure and digital payment technology.
He further said that capacity-building is one of the central pillars of India-Dominican Republic cooperation. India has organized two special training courses under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program (ITEC) for officials of the Dominican Republic in cyber security and remote sensing.
During her trip, Vice President Peña visited the new Parliament, a building that reflects the growth and modernization of the country, inaugurated in May 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Vice President Peña is the first foreign government representative to visit the newly inaugurated Parliament building.
She was received by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who highlighted that the Parliament House symbolizes India’s diversity and democratic path. The new building incorporates designs, materials and cultures from all parts of the country, Birla said. He noted that India and the Dominican Republic have strong parliamentary systems and shared democratic values. Birla opined that both nations should further strengthen their parliamentary exchanges to advance democracy.
Highlighting possible cooperation areas between the two countries’ parliaments, Birla mentioned the training initiatives for parliamentarians led by the Indian Parliament in which legislators from the Dominican Republic could participate. In this regard, he referred to training in using information technologies and artificial intelligence for parliamentary work. Another area of cooperation highlighted by Birla was the exchange of experiences and best practices in the functioning of the parliaments of both countries.
Mentioning the immense potential for development in the tourism sector between India and the Dominican Republic, he said that both countries have historical interests and scenic spots and can develop a common approach to enhance cooperation in this area.
Birla expressed hope that in the near future India and the Dominican Republic will strengthen their economic and trade relations. India is ready to extend its full cooperation in this regard.
Vice President Raquel Peña thanked the Lok Sabha Speaker for the hospitality and expressed gratitude for India’s timely supply of Covid-19 vaccines under the “Vaccine Maitri” initiative. India-made (Astra Zeneca) vaccines were the first to arrive and were used to vaccinate healthcare workers in 2020.
Vice President Peña visited the Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, participating in the 2 October date that marks the birth anniversary of the most influential leader in the struggle for Indian independence, and who is a symbol of peace and non-violence for all nations.
The Vice President met with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who recently visited the Dominican Republic to inaugurate the Embassy of India in Santo Domingo. The two leaders discussed further strengthening of bilateral ties, especially in trade, education, defense, space and renewable energy.
The Vice President is on a three-day visit to India. She has pending discussions with Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar and other Indian dignitaries. She will also deliver a lecture on India-Dominican Republic relations at the Indian Council for World Affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations of India states that the Dominican Republic is an important partner of India in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The visit of the Vice President of the Dominican Republic comes closely on the heels of that of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to that country in April 2023.
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News on Air
4 October 2023