Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will arrive in New Delhi today on a four-day visit to India. The President of Portugal will be accompanied by Minister of State and Professor of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva, Secretary of State for Internationalization Professor Yurico Brillante Dias, and Secretary of State for National Defense Jorge Seguro Century. This will be President Marcello's first visit to India. The last visit of a Portuguese President to India was in 2007. During the visit, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will be given a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan today, followed by a visit to Rajghat.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will meet visiting dignitaries. President Sousa will also visit the states of Maharashtra and Goa during his visit. India's relations with Portugal have been marked with warmth and friendship and have acknowledged its dynamism in recent years. Recent high-level political exchanges include Prime Minister Antonio Costa's visit to India in December last year and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Portugal in June 2017.
The two countries have active and growing cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, science, culture, and education. They share considerable convergence on international issues. The visit will provide an opportunity for both countries to review progress in various areas of bilateral relations and to pursue a new path of cooperation and exchange on international issues of common interest.
