External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj will undertake a four-day visit to Bulgaria, Morocco and Spain from February 16 – 19
Swaraj will be on an official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria on 16-17 February. The visit is a follow-up visit to the State visit of President Ram Nath Kovind to Bulgaria in September last year. This is the first ever visit of an Indian External Affairs Minister to Bulgaria.
During the visit, Swaraj will meet with the Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria. The two leaders will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Swaraj will pay floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the South Park in Sofia. The statue was unveiled last year by President Kovind along with President of Bulgaria to mark the celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Swaraj will also interact with the Indian community and Friends of India in Sofia during the visit.
In the second leg of her tour, Swaraj will visit the Kingdom of Morocco on 17-18 February. The visit is in pursuit of India’s objective of enhanced engagement with the Kingdom and will provide an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues.
During the visit, Swaraj will interact with her counterpart Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, Morocco. She will also call on His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, Saad Dine El Otmani, Head of Government and Habib El Maliki, President of Chamber of Representatives, Parliament.
Three MoUs for cooperation in the areas of Counter Terrorism, Housing & Human Settlements and Youth Matters are expected for signing during the visit. EAM will also interact with the Indian community in Rabat.
In the last leg of her visit, Swaraj will travel to Spain on 18-19 February at the invitation of her counterpart Josep Borrell Fontelles, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation.
During her visit, the External Affairs Minister will hold a bilateral meeting with her counterpart to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual concern. The Spanish Government will also confer upon EAM the prestigious Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit by the Spanish Government for India´s swift response through Operation Maitri in rescuing 71 Spanish nationals from Nepal in April 2015 in the wake of the disastrous earthquake. Swaraj will also interact with the Indian Community in Spain.
External Affairs Minister’s visit will strengthen India’s relations with these three countries, expand avenues of cooperation and provide an opportunity to discuss regional and global issues of importance.
