President of India in Czech Republic; leads delegation level talks and emphasises defence and tech relations. India and Czech republic sign five agreements, welcome special carve-out for Indian skilled workers
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, reached the Czech Republic yesterday (September 6, 2018) on the final leg of his state visit to three European nations – Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. The President commenced his engagements today (September 7, 2018) with a visit to the Prague Castle where he was received by Mr Milos Zeman, the President of the Czech Republic, and accorded a ceremonial welcome.
During the subsequent one-to-one discussions with President Zeman, and later the delegation-level talks that both Presidents lead, President Kovind thanked his host for the warmth and hospitality with which his delegation and he had been received. He emphasised India’s keenness to cooperate with the Czech Republic in the fields of defence, technology and manufacture, business and trade, as well as on issues of multilateral importance such as terrorism. President Kovind said that Czech strengths in manufacturing and advanced technology make the country a natural fit to partner Indian economic growth and next-generation development.
President Kovind also thanked the President and government of the Czech Republic for a special carve-out for mobility of high-skilled Indian workers and business executives to work and live in the Czech Republic on a long-term basis. Initially limited to 500 visas a year, the new procedure will come into effect in October 2018.
India and the Czech Republic are signing five agreements as part of President Kovind’s visit. These are:
- Cooperation between the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, India, and the Czech Academy of Sciences
- A work plan to support Indo-Czech projects in diverse areas of science and technology, with the Department of Science and Technology taking the lead from the Indian side
- A visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passport holders
- Cooperation in laser technology between ELI Beamlines and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
- Cooperation between the Haryana Agricultural University and the Czech University of Life Sciences
In addition, India and the Czech Republic have agreed to initiate cooperation in civil nuclear energy. Details of a prospective agreement between the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, Jhajjar, Haryana, and a relevant Czech institution are to be worked out.
The President also issued a media statement on his visit to the Czech Republic (attached).
Later, the President attended a luncheon banquet hosted in his honour by President Milos Zeman of the Czech Republic. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that President Zeman’s visit to India in 2001, in his capacity as Prime Minister, provided impetus to bilateral relations. The President said that the Indian growth story and Czech technology and manufacturing make us natural partners.
Yesterday evening (September 6, 2018), the President addressed an impressive gathering of the Indian community at a reception in Prague hosted by Smt Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India to the Czech Republic. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that India considers every Indian abroad as an ambassador. He urged members of the diaspora to share the beauty of India’s culture and business potential with the host community.
AKT/VJ/SBP
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