SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE RECEIVING CREDENTIALS FROM MR. JAROMIR NOVOTNY,
AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF CZECH REPUBLIC
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 11, 2001
Excellency,
It gives
me great pleasure to accept your Credentials as the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to India. I welcome you to India
and extend my warm felicitations on your appointment to this important
position.Our
bilateral relations go back to a period of history when both societies
were striving to regain control over their destinies. The initial contacts
were made by the leading intellectuals of that time and were reflected
in the deep interest taken by scholars in each other’s languages, history
and culture. Our national poet, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, perhaps did
most to bring to our countrymen the richness of your heritage.
India’s
relations with the Czech Republic have traditionally been warm, close
and friendly and are based on values of freedom, dignity of the individual
and respect for diversity and pluralism. Exchange of visits between our
two countries has been regular and at various levels. Important recent
landmarks in this area have been the visit by President Vaclav Havel to
India in February 1994, the return visit to the Czech Republic by the
then President Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma in October 1996 and most recently,
the visit to India of Prime Minister Milos Zeman, in March 2001. Such
high level interactions have provided necessary guidance and impetus to
the bilateral relations.The
most important aspect of our bilateral ties is undeniably trade and economic
cooperation.
The economic reform process in both countries provides an
ideal platform for expanding our interaction in this area. Institutional
and legal infrastructure for our bilateral trade and economic relations
has been in place for some time. Yet, the current trade turnover at around
US $ 150 million is not commensurate with its true potential. There are
considerable opportunities for further expansion of our trade in such
fields as pharmaceuticals, information technology, hi-tech products, automobiles
and automotive parts and infrastructure related items. India and Czech
Republic need to encourage mutual investments.Excellency,
our shared ideals allow us to understand each other’s concerns and aspirations
and to work in multilateral fora in pursuit of common objectives. The
terrorist attacks in Unites States of September 11, 2001 have dramatically
underscored the fact that terrorism is a global menace knowing no borders
or regions. The lethal reach and destructive power of terrorism has been
enhanced by linkages to illicit trafficking of drugs, small arms and money
laundering on a global scale.
We look forward to co-operating with like
minded countries like yours in the global fight against this scourge.
In this context, we hope for Czech Republic’s support for the early finalisation
of the Indian Draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. We watch
with friendly interest the progress being made by the Czech Republic in
its negotiations with the European Union (EU) for accession into the Union.
The EU, as a whole, is India’s largest trading partner and we would have
one more friend in the EU after the Czech Republic obtains full membership.
Excellency,
I am confident that with your wide-ranging experience, you will effectively
contribute to the growth of our bilateral relations. I would like to assure
you that in your endeavour to further strengthen the friendship, goodwill
and understanding between our two countries, you will receive the fullest
co-operation of the Government of India. I wish you and your family a
pleasant and professionally fulfilling tenure in India, and every success
in your mission. I also take this opportunity to convey through you my
best wishes for the health and happiness of His Excellency President Vaclav
Havel and for the prosperity and well-being of the friendly people of
the Czech Republic.
Thank you
|
