SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE RECEIVING CREDENTIALS FROM THE COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE
OF LESOTHO TO INDIA
NEW DELHI, MARCH
20, 1998
Excellency,
I am
pleased to receive the Letter of Credence appointing you as the High Commissioner
of the Kingdom of Lesotho to India with residence in Beijing. On behalf
of the Government and the people of India, and on my own part, I extend
a warm welcome to you.
The
traditionally close and friendly relations between India and Lesotho date
back to before the independence of either country. We know of the admiration
and support of the Basotho people for the "Satyagraha" led by Mahatma
Gandhi in the Transvaal region of South Africa in the early part of this
century. After its independence from colonial rule in 1966, the Kingdom
of Lesotho and its valiant people stood for decades as an oasis of freedom
and tolerance amidst a vast desert of racial oppression and subjugation.
Since the holding of general elections in Lesotho in 1993, India's traditional
solidarity with the Kingdom has been reinforced by our common commitment
to democracy. As members of the Nonaligned Movement and of the Commonwealth,
our two countries also share common views on most international issues
and are partners in the common quest for global peace, justice and equity.
Over
the last few years, India has been a privileged participant in Lesotho's
programmes of economic and social development, particularly in the training
of its human resources. Our co-operation in this field has progressed
substantially within the framework of the Indian Technical and Economic
Cooperation programme and the Special Commonwealth African Assistance
Plan. The presence in Lesotho today of a large number of Indian teachers,
doctors, accountants and other professionals is vivid testimony to the
vibrancy of our ties. Lesotho may rest assured of India's continued support
and assistance in its efforts to deliver to its people the fruits of their
hard-won independence.
The
emergence of a free and democratic South Africa in 1994 has dramatically
transformed a region once characterised by hostility and tension into
a grand nursery of growth and cooperation. India has, in the recent past,
institutionalised a programme of cooperation with the Southern African
Development Community. In our endeavour to strengthen our cooperative
linkages with all the countries of the region, we value Lesotho's membership
of and active participation in this grouping.
I wish
to convey through you, Mr. High Commissioner, my warm greetings to His
Majesty King Letsie III and my good wishes for his health and success.
I am confident that his visionary and sagacious leadership would help
reshape the destiny of Lesotho, assuring its people both peace and prosperity.
In
wishing you a successful term of office, I would like to assure you of
the fullest cooperation of the Government of India in your efforts to
strengthen the already existing close and friendly relations between our
two governments and peoples.
Thank you
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