SPEECH
BY SHRI K. R. NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE ACCEPTING
CREDENTIALS FROM MR. TRULS HANEVOLD, AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE
OF THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY TO INDIA
NEW DELHI,
AUGUST 27, 1999
Excellency,
I have great pleasure
in accepting the Letter of Credence from His Majesty King Harald V of Norway
accrediting you as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Kingdom of Norway to India. May I request you to transmit to His Majesty
my sincere thanks for his good wishes and greetings which I heartily reciprocate.
Relations between India
and Norway have developed and prospered on the basis of shared values and
principles. Both our countries are firmly committed to democracy, human
rights, responsible governance, freedom of speech and the rule of law as
well as to the promotion of international peace. These commonalities have,
over the years, enabled us to build a relationship, both bilaterally and
in multilateral fora, based on mutual trust, goodwill and cooperation. I
am confident that India and Norway will continue to work together to further
expand and enrich the existing mutually beneficial cooperation.
We have had important
Parliamentary exchanges between our two countries in recent years which
have contributed to better understanding between both countries. We will
be happy to further encourage the exchange of high level visits between
the two countries. I welcome the high-level political consultations that
have just taken place between our two countries.
Excellency, we attach
considerable importance to the further development of our bilateral economic
relationship. The existing levels of trade and commercial exchanges between
our two countries are yet to reach the potential which exists. The Indian
economy has registered annual growth rates between 5 and 7%, during the
last decade. The Government has also taken a number of steps to promote
foreign direct investment, particularly in infrastructure development. We
are aware of Norwegian expertise in a number of areas of interest to us
and would look forward to further enhancing mutually beneficial linkages
between our two countries.
We are today living in
a world in which effective action for dealing with many of the challenges
which confront us, has to be based on global partnership. India and Norway
are both, as you mentioned, committed to promoting peace, security and well
being in the international community. It is therefore, natural that we should
consult each other on issues of global importance and to the extent possible,
also coordinate our actions. We would, Excellency, look forward to greater
exchanges on such issues between our two countries.
Excellency, I would like
to assure you that in your personal endeavours to reinforce ties between
India and Norway, you will receive the fullest cooperation of my Government.
I am confident that during your tenure, bilateral and mutually beneficial
cooperation between our two countries will be carried forward.
Thank you
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