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The Vice President of India, Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat will pay a State visit to Romania, Belarus and Armenia from October 1-8, 2005. He will be accompanied by 4 Members of Parliament namely Dr. Chandan Mitra, Shri K. Jana Krishnamurthy, Shri P.K. Maheshwari and Shri Robert Kharshing and senior government officials.
Shri Shekhawat’s visit to Romania (October 1-4) is at the invitation of Senator Nicolae Vacaroiu, President of the Senate of Romania. The Vice President’s first engagement will be to participate in a ceremony dedicated to the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on the morning of October 2, 2005 at India House. He will meet the same day, the members of the Indian community in Romania and the Indo-Romanian Cultural Association.
During his visit, Hon’ble Vice-President will meet H.E. Mr. Traian Basescu, President of Romania, H.E. Mr. Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Prime Minister of Romania, H.E. Mr. loan-Codrut Seres, Minister of Economy and Commerce and H.E. Mr. Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs apart from his host, the President of the Senate and Senator George Sabin Cutas, Deputy Speaker. He will also meet Speaker of the Chambers of the Deputies, H.E. Mr. Adrian Nastase. Hon’ble Vice-President will also meet other Senators and visit the Palace of Parliament where he will attend the Senate Plenary Session.
Hon’ble Vice-President will also visit Peles Castle and Sinaia Monastery during his visit to Romania.
Shri Shekhawat’s visit to Belarus (October 4-6), is at the invitation of Mr. G. Novitski, former Prime Minister and currently Chairman of Council of Republic (Upper House) in the National Assembly of Belarus.
During his visit, the Vice President would be meeting the Belarusian President and a dinner would be hosted in the honour of the visiting dignitary by the Chairman, Council of Republic (Upper House). The programme drawn for the visit, in addition to the political meetings, provide for a visit to a tractor factory which would showcase the strength of Belarusian technology. A cultural programme and wreath laying ceremony to the victims of the Second World War are there in the Vice-President’s programme.
An agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between the Republic of India and Republic of Belarus would be signed during the visit.
The visit of the Vice-President to Armenia (October 6-8) is in response to an invitation extended by the present Armenian President Mr. R. Kocharian who visited India in October-November, 2003.
Shri Shekhawat’s visit is in the context of India’s commitment to maintain close and friendly relations with the countries of the Caucasus region of which Armenia forms an important part.
During the visit, the Armenian President would be hosting a lunch in the honour of Vice-President. The visiting dignitary would also be addressing the special session of the National Assembly of Armenia. He is the first Indian dignitary to do so. An honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine with a University Gold Medal would be conferred on Vice-President by the Yerevan State Medical University.
Prior to Shri Shekhawat’s visit, the then President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and the then Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi visited Armenia in 1964 and 1976 respectively.
Shri Shekhawat will be returning to India in the evening of October 8.
AK/NSK/MK.
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