President Kovind to visit Turkmenistan, Netherlands

New Delhi, March 22 : President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a week-long visit to the Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan, which has just got a new President, and to the Netherlands, with both New Delhi and Amsterdam celebrating 75 years of their diplomatic relations this year. His visit to Turkmenistan from April 1-4 is at the invitation of the President of Turkmenistan. This will be the first-ever visit of the President of India to independent Turkmenistan. The visit also comes just after the inauguration of the new President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdymukhammedov, 40, the son of long-standing Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who took office as president on March 19. During the visit, President Kovind will meet the new President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to discuss various issues of bilateral and regional cooperation, including implementation of the outcomes of the India-Central Asia Summit held in January 2022. Some agreements / MoUs are also expected to be signed during the visit, an official statement said. He next goes to the Kingdom of Netherlands from April 4-7 at the invitation of King Willem – Alexander and Queen Maxima. During the visit to the Netherlands, President Kovind will hold discussions with the Royal Majesties and with Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The upcoming visit is significant as during 2022, India and the Netherlands are celebrating 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations. In 2021, during the Virtual Summit held between the Prime Ministers of the two countries, a Strategic Partnership on Water was launched to enhance the level of engagement between the two sides in this important sector. Cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, health, urban development, science and technology are other important pillars of the bilateral relationship. The Netherlands is also an important economic and commercial partner of India with the country being India’s fourth largest FDI source. It also hosts the largest Indian diaspora in continental Europe. RN