SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE ACCEPTING
THE CREDENTIALS FROM DR. ZORAN ANDRIC, AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE
OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA TO INDIA
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 21, 1998
Excellency,
It gives me great pleasure
to accept your Credentials as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the Republic of Croatia to India. I warmly welcome you to my country
and extend my sincere congratulations on your appointment to this position
of high responsibility.
Excellency, relations
between India and Croatia have always been cordial and friendly. Our links
have been sustained by a genuine feeling of warmth and affection that has
traditionally existed between our two peoples. The considerable interest
amongst the people of your country in Indian languages, religion, literature
and philosophy has provided a firm foundation to our bilateral ties and
has helped foster people-to-people relationship. We are confident that our
co-operation will further intensify and strengthen in the years to come,
to mutual benefit.
India established diplomatic
relations with Croatia in July 1992 soon after it emerged as an independent
State. We recall with appreciation that Croatia opened its mission in New
Delhi in February 1995. We reciprocated by opening our mission in Zagreb
in April 1996. These developments contributed to the generation of a perceptible
momentum in our bilateral interaction. Recent Ministerial and other high
level exchanges between India and Croatia have also led to a better appreciation
of each other's concerns and priorities and we look forward to the further
strengthening of our mutual understanding and goodwill.
We have followed with
friendly interest the economic stabilization programme implemented by Croatia
to invigorate its economy. India, too, has pursued a programme of economic
liberalization and the Indian economy is on a path of sustained economic
growth. Developments in our respective countries have brought forth new
opportunities for the further expansion of our economic ties. We look forward
to tapping the potential for promoting bilateral economic and commercial
co-operation so as to invest Indo - Croatian relations with even greater
content.
Successive technological
revolutions and the increasing pace of global economic integration in this
century have wrought fundamental changes in human societies. At the threshold
of a new millennium, mankind is faced with the challenge of creating a new
world order which ensures that the benefits of technological change, scientific
advances, and economic growth accrue to all societies and nations. It is
important for the world community to ensure that this new order is just,
equitable, democratic, and representative of all regions of the world and
all sections of humanity and is based on respect for the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of states. I am confident that India and Croatia will
make concerted efforts at all international fora in the pursuit of this
goal.
Excellency, may I assure
you that the Government of India will always be forthcoming in extending
to you its full co-operation on issues concerning our bilateral relations.
I wish you an enjoyable and productive stay in India and success in your
endeavour to further consolidate Indo-Croatian friendship and co-operation.
I would also like to take this opportunity to convey through you, my best
wishes for the health and happiness of His Excellency President Franjo Tudjman
and for the prosperity and well-being of the friendly people of Croatia.
Thank you
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