Portugal President to visit India from Feb 13-16, will review progress in ties

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will visit India from February 13-16 during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the progress in bilateral ties in key sectors, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. This will be President Marcelo's first visit to India. The last visit by a Portuguese President to India was in 2007.

"The visit will provide an opportunity for the two sides to review progress in various sectors of bilateral relations and pursue new avenues of cooperation and exchange view on international issues of common interest," the MEA said in a statement. Sousa will be accompanied by Portugal's Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva, Secretary of State for Internationalization Eurico Brilhante Dias and Secretary of State for National Defense Jorge Seguro Sanches.

During the visit, Sousa will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan on February 14, 2020, followed by a visit to Rajghat. The delegation-level talks will be held with Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House followed by a lunch, the MEA said.

President Ram Nath Kovind will meet the visiting President on February 14 and host a banquet in the honor of the visiting President. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will also call on the visiting President.

Sousa will also travel to the states of Maharashtra and Goa during his visit. India's relations with Portugal are marked by warmth and friendship and have assumed dynamism in recent years, the MEA said.

The two countries have active and growing cooperation in the field of economy and business, science, culture, and education. They also share considerable convergences on international issues, it said.