SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R. NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE ACCEPTING THE CREDENTIALS
FROM DR. HERBERT TRAXL, AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF THE REPUBLIC
OF AUSTRIA TO INDIA
NEW DELHI, JANUARY
19, 1998
Excellency,
I have great pleasure
in welcoming you to India in this fiftieth year of our independence and
in accepting the letter of credence from His Excellency President Thomas
Klestil accrediting you as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of Austria to India. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank
H.E. President Klestil for his good wishes.
Excellent personal
relations have always existed between the leaders of India and Austria.
I am confident that India and Austria will continue to build on existing
common interests and work together for a harmonious and peaceful world
order in the 21st century.
The recent exchange
of Ministerial visits has greatly contributed to the strengthening of
our bilateral relations. We look forward to an intensification of these
exchanges during your tenure in our country. India is engaged in the task
of building a strong economy for which it is important to have a conducive
international environment. Austria is poised to take up the Presidency
of the European Union in the second half of 1998. We are confident that
Austria will continue to support India's increasing linkages with EU,
both political and economic.
The liberalization
of the Indian economy has provided opportunities for both countries to
expand relations in the areas of trade, investments, joint ventures and
technological and scientific cooperation. There is tremendous scope for
augmenting trade and investments. The visits of the Austrian Finance Minister
in 1996 and the visit of the President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce
in 1996 and 1997 accompanied by high level business delegations and the
subsequent joint business ventures entered into by various Austrian and
Indian companies are pointers to the fact that we are moving in the right
direction.
The direct air link
recently established between Delhi and Vienna is an important development
towards promoting bilateral trade and tourism and in promoting people-to-people
contacts.
Our bilateral cooperation
in the area of environment conservation is very encouraging. India is
indeed happy to able to benefit from Austria's expertise. We hope that
with Austrian assistance, India will soon be able to reverse the environmental
degradation that has occurred in parts of Kashmir.
Both Austria and
India have a rich cultural heritage we have proudly shared over the years.
I hope that during your tenure as Ambassador, it will be possible to have
specific cultural events in the context of the fiftieth anniversary of
the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
Mr. Ambassador, India's
history since independence has demonstrated that our political institutions
are strong and that our democratic traditions are deep rooted and resilient.
Tolerance is the hallmark of our ethos. During your tenure, you will be
able to witness for yourself our deep commitment to improving the quality
of life of our people and the vast variety and richness of our civilization
and culture.
I wish you and your
family, Mr. Ambassador, a successful tenure in India and assure you of
the fullest cooperation of my government in the performance of your duties.
Thank you
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