SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R. NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE RECEIVING
CREDENTIALS FROM MR. GUY TROUVEROY, AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF BELGIUM
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 29,
1999
Excellency,
I have great pleasure
in welcoming you to India and accepting the Letter of Credence from His
Majesty Albert II, King of Belgium, accrediting you as the new Ambassador
of Belgium to India.
We value our relations
with Belgium, which like India is a nation in which several ethnic, linguistic
and cultural groups have blended. It is well known that Belgian nationhood
is based on the principles of federalism and the guarantee of respect for
all persons within its mosaic of diverse cultures. As you have observed,
our two nations share similar values of commitment to pluralism, democracy,
consensus-building, federalism, the rule of law, freedom of expression,
and openness to the outside world. It will be of interest to you to observe
during your stay in India, as to how the concept of unity in diversity sustains
Indian life.
I am confident that given
the similarities in our basic principles, India and Belgium will cooperate
to good effect at all levels. The intensive and high level interaction between
our two countries in recent years is demonstrative of the value that we
both attach to this relationship. We look forward to the further strengthening
of these close and cordial ties between our two nations.
Belgium is an important
economic partner for India. There is, however, considerable potential for
further strengthening this aspect of our relationship. The diamond has been
the 'crown-jewel' of our trade. We share your assessment on the need to
diversify our commercial relations. The Indian economy has been growing
consistently over the years. The growth in the current year is expected
to be over 6%. The new Government has recently unveiled an exciting and
ambitious agenda for the expansion of India's industrial activities. A number
of initiatives are being undertaken in the sectors of energy, transportation,
telecommunications and information technology. We recognise that Foreign
Direct Investment will play an important role in our efforts to promote
rapid economic development. Belgian companies are known the world over for
their modern technology and management practices. We would look forward
to their greater participation in the Indian economy which would be mutually
beneficial.
India has traditionally
been open to person-to-person interaction with the peoples of all nations.
It is such linkages which form the basis of stable and long-lasting relationships
between different countries. We are, therefore, happy to note the enhancement
in these contacts between our two peoples. We would be glad to provide further
encouragement in this direction.
Excellency, we are observing
with great interest ongoing developments in Europe towards greater interaction
in the economic and political spheres. The European Union is a major economic
partner of ours. We have, in recent years, attempted to provide a political
dimension to this relationship as well. We, too, see the promotion of political
and economic ties between India and the European Union as complementary
to our efforts to the further strengthening of relations between India and
Belgium.
I wish you, Excellency,
a successful and happy tenure in India. I assure you of the fullest cooperation
of my government in the performance of your duties.
Thank you
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