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President James Michel’s state visit to India |27 August 2015

President Michel gets red carpet welcome

 

President James Michel’s three-day state visit to India began with a ceremonial red carpet welcome in the forecourt of the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan where he inspected a guard of honour and was given a 21-gun salute.

During a meeting yesterday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was announced that India will gift Seychelles an Interceptor Coastguard boat and a second Dornier aircraft.

The Seychelles President was received at the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan by a cavalcade of the President’s bodyguards dressed in bright red with contrasting blue turbans.

Upon his arrival at the forecourt, Mr Michel was received by the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He was escorted to the saluting dais as the national anthems of Seychelles and India played.

President Michel then inspected a guard of honour before President Mukherjee introduced him to the Cabinet Ministers and other dignitaries.

Mr Michel also paid his respects to civil rights icon Mahatma Gandhi by laying a large white wreath at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi.

The president threw rose petals at Raj Ghat, the memorial for India's independence icon in New Delhi, and signed the visitors’ book.


Mr Michel then met Indian Prime Minister Modi in the Deccan Suite of the Hyderabad House for a restricted meeting followed by a working lunch.

This was followed by an exchange of agreements ceremony in the Ball Room of the Deccan Suite (see separate story).

Yesterday, President Michel also met Indian Minister for Defence Manohar Parrikar, Indian Minister for Finance Arun Jaitely and Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh.

Last night, Indian President Mukherjee hosted a Presidential banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in honour of President Michel.

President Michel arrived in India on Tuesday on a three-day visit and is being accompanied by a high-level delegation. Besides Minister Morgan, the other members of the delegation include the Minister for Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy, Jean-Paul Adam. A business delegation is also accompanying the president.

This is the third state visit of President Michel to India. The two previous ones were in 2005 and 2010. President Michel also took part in the Delhi Sustainable Development Summits in 2011 and 2012.

 

Text and photos by Gerard Govinden in Delhi

 

 

 

 

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