ASHGABAT: State Visit of the President of India to the Republic of Turkmenistan and Kingdom of the Netherlands

ASHGABAT: At the invitation of the President of Turkmenistan, Hon’ble President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind will pay a State visit to Turkmenistan from 1-4 April 2022. 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.

During the visit, the President will meet the new President of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr. 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.

The visit to Turkmenistan will be followed by a State Visit of President of India to the Kingdom of Netherlands from 4-7 April 2022 at the invitation of His Majesty King Willem – Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Maxima. During the visit to the Netherlands, the President will hold discussions with His Royal Majesties and H.E. Mr. Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

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.