SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE ACCEPTING CREDENTIALS FROM MS. BIRGIT
STORGAARD MADSEN, AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF DENMARK TO INDIA
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 30, 1998
Excellency,
I have great pleasure
in accepting the Letter of Credence from Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II
of Denmark accrediting you as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Republic of India. May I request you to
transmit to Her Majesty, my sincere thanks for her good wishes and greetings
which I heartily reciprocate.
As you have very rightly
mentioned, relations between India and Denmark date back several centuries.
The two Danish trading posts at Tranquebar in Tamil Nadu and Serampore in
West Bengal were established in the early part of the 17th century. The
focus at that time was only on trade. Our relations have now matured and
our relationship is now more multi-faceted. It is our sincere hope that
this process will continue and Indo-Danish relations will break new grounds
encompassing political, economic, commercial and cultural dimensions.
India has espoused with
passion the cause of peace and disarmament, particularly, nuclear disarmament.
We pursue that cause as ardently as ever. A monopoly over nuclear weapons
in the hands of a few powers cannot be in the interests of peace or equality
in the world. We have unilaterally declared a moratorium on nuclear testing
and announced that we would not be the first to use these weapons. We are
willing to join any agreement or arrangement that would ensure the non-use
of these weapons and their phased elimination on a non-discriminatory basis.
Excellency, you have
mentioned the cooperation which has taken place between our two countries
in the field of development. Such cooperation has been useful and has been
appreciated by us. We, however, do recognize that it is for each country
to decide as to the nature and the scope of its co-operation with other
countries.
Excellency, in your endeavours
to reinforce ties between India and Denmark, you will receive the fullest
cooperation of my Government. I wish you a most successful and enjoyable
tenure in India.
Thank you
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