SPEECH BY SHRI K.R. NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE ACCEPTING CREDENTIALS FROM MR. LUIS RODOMIRO HERNANDEZ-ORTIZ AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF THE REPUBLIC PERU TO INDIA

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 3, 2000

Excellency,

It gives me great pleasure in accepting Your Excellency's Letter of Credence as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Peru to India, and in extending to Your Excellency a warm welcome to my country.

Relations between India and Peru have traditionally been marked by friendship and understanding. Our two countries have cooperated with each other both bilaterally and at various multilateral fora. It is a matter of great satisfaction that both our countries are keen on cementing and diversifying our existing cooperative relationship. I have no doubt that Peru and India can assist each other in a variety of ways to make our participation in the world market effective and to ensure that the benefits from the advances in science and technology are equitably distributed among our citizens.

Excellency, you are assuming your charge at a historic moment since it virtually coincides with the assumption of charge by the new government in Peru. H.E. President Alberto Fujimori has been a dear friend and we all fondly remember his state visit to India in May 1997. I myself was delighted to visit your beautiful country in April-May 1998 and reinforce my acquaintance with H.E. President Fujimori. During the visit my wife and I were particularly touched by the warm welcome accorded to us and to our delegation by the friendly people of Peru. The two visits led to the signing of wide-ranging cooperation agreements between our countries and I sincerely hope that the two governments would continue to build on the understandings reached through these agreements.

Excellency, my government recognizes that globalisation is emerging as a major determinant in international relations. We can no longer claim that geographical distance keeps us apart, when economic globalisation is making us more and more interdependent. In this context, Peru and India need to work in concert to advance our mutual bilateral, regional and multilateral interests. While much has been achieved, clearly much still remains to be done. We have obvious and shared interests as developing countries; it is accordingly necessary to maintain a regular dialogue on issues such as the WTO, UN reforms, environmental issues, drug-trafficking and terrorism.

I take this opportunity, Excellency, to assure you of my government's full cooperation in the discharge of your duties in India. Your keen personal interest in my country's rich cultural heritage and your expressed commitment to promote our bilateral ties, augur well for the future of Indo-Peruvian relations.

I wish Your Excellency all the success and personal happiness during your tenure here. I would also like to avail of this opportunity to convey through you to H.E. President Alberto Fujimori my most cordial greetings and my very best wishes for the progress and prosperity of the people of Peru.

Thank you