Portugal: President Murmu attends banquet hosted in her honour by Portguese counterpart Rebelo de Sousa

President Droupadi Murmu attended a banquet hosted in her honour by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

The banquet took place at Palacio da Ajuda in Lisbon on Monday evening, the details of which were shared by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President Murmu highlighted that this year holds special significance the two countries are celebrating 50 years of the India-Portugal bilateral relations.

In her remarks, she emphasised that with the natural synergy and potential for cooperation in diverse fields, India-Portugal historic ties are firmly on the way to evolving into a dynamic and visionary partnership.

Earlier on Monday President Murmu visited the Church of Santa Maria and laid a wreath at the tomb of Luis Vaz de Camoes, Portugal’s national poet. As per the Rashtrapati Bhavan, she also visited the Monastery of Jeronimos, a masterpiece of 16th-century architecture in Portugal.

President Murmu was presented with the “Key of Honour” of Lisbon City on Monday at the historic Camara Municipal de Lisboa (City Hall) in Portugal.

Several eminent Lisbon citizens, including members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the Indian and Indo-Portuguese communities, attended the ceremony.

While speaking at the handing-over ceremony of the City Key of Honour of Lisbon, Murmu said, “We are working to make India a developed country, ‘Viksit Bharat’, by 2047, which will be a prosperous, inclusive, and developed society with a human-centric approach.”

She added that Portugal has been an essential partner of India in promoting its ties with the European Union.

“Portugal has been an important partner of India in promoting our relations with the European Union and Lusophone countries. Cultural ties between India and Portugal go back centuries and have left a lasting mark on our everyday lives,” she said.

Earlier in the day, Murmu held extensive discussions with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa about various aspects of India-Portugal relations.

President Droupadi Murmu is visiting Portugal at the invitation of the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The visit is taking place after a gap of 27 years. The last State Visit took place in 1998 when President K R Narayanan visited Portugal.