“Historic and warm visit marking 50 years of ties”: MEA Secretary Lal on President Murmu’s Portugal trip

President Droupadi Murmu’s state visit to Portugal marked a significant milestone in the diplomatic relations between India and Portugal. The ceremonial welcome at the city square set the tone for the visit, where she inspected the guard of honor and received a grand salute.

“The state visit of the President began with a ceremonial welcome where she inspected the guard of honour and received a ceremonial Grand Salute… The ceremony was hosted in the city square,” said MEA Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal in a press briefing.

Following the formalities, President Murmu paid tribute to Luis Vaz de Camoes, the national poet of Portugal. Camoes is best known for his epic poem “Os Lusiadas,” which celebrates Portuguese history and culture.

Murmu then held a private meeting with the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, which was followed by delegation-level talks. “The discussions between the two presidents commenced with a Tete-a-tete, which was followed by delegation-level talks,” Lal added. To celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties between India and Portugal, both leaders jointly released commemorative stamps and later delivered statements to the media.

“The two leaders also jointly released stamps to commemorate the 50 years of diplomatic relations, and by the end, the two leaders also made press statements.” In the evening, President Rebelo de Sousa hosted a banquet in honour of President Murmu at the Palacio da Ajuda.

“One of the special moments at the State Banquet was the music recital by the Portuguese artist Rao Kyao, who also plays the flute, and he played the Vaishnava Jana at the State Banquet.”

During her visit, President Murmu also met Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro at the Palace Sao Bento. “The President also met the Prime Minister of Portugal, His Excellency, Luis Montenegro… The meeting between our President Murmu and Prime Minister Montenegro took place at the Palace Sao Bento,” Lal said, noting that Montenegro and Prime Minister Modi had previously met in Brazil during the G20 summit.

Earlier on Tuesday, Murmu visited the Portuguese Parliament, where she was welcomed with a ceremonial Guard of Honour and received by the President of Assembleia da Republica, Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco. “Earlier today, the President also visited the Assembly of Portugal, which is the Parliament, where she held discussions with the speaker of the Parliament. The leaders had a Tete-a-tete, which was followed by delegation-level broader discussions,” Lal said. She was also given a tour of the Assembly Hall.

President Murmu paid floral tribute to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Alameda Mahatma Gandhi and offered prayers at the Radha-Krishna temple. She also signed the book of honour and met members of the Portuguese delegation and President Aguiar-Branco’s cabinet.

President Murmu arrived in Lisbon late Sunday night for the first presidential visit from India to Portugal in 27 years. The last such visit was in 1998 by President K R Narayanan. Her current four-day tour to Portugal and Slovakia runs from April 7 to 10, at the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.