On the eve of the "golden milestone", India-Portugal strengthen multifaceted cooperation

Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel begins his visit to India today, December 12.

Representatives of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs welcome Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel (left) in New Delhi on December 12. (Source: Indian Ministry of External Affairs)

This is the first visit of the head of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the country of the Ganges.

The visit, which comes as bilateral relations are about to enter their 50th year next year, will strengthen the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, said Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal.

During his visit, which will last until December 15, Mr. Paulo Rangel will hold important talks with his host counterpart S Jaishankar in the capital New Delhi and then participate in activities in the western Indian state of Goa.

Notably, last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Luis Montenegro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the first meeting between the two Prime Ministers, and the discussion focused on strengthening the economic linkages between the two countries.

“Areas like renewable energy and green hydrogen offer ample scope for greater cooperation. We also discussed close defence ties, people-to-people contacts and other issues,” the Indian Prime Minister shared on social media X.

According to ANI , friendly relations between India and Portugal began in 1947 after India gained independence and the two established diplomatic relations in 1949. However, the relationship soon became strained in 1950 after Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar refused to surrender Portuguese-occupied territories.

The Indian army launched Operation Vijay to liberate Goa on December 19, 1961, ending more than 450 years of Portuguese rule, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/truoc-them-cot-moc-vang-an-do-bo-dao-nha-cung-co-quan-he-hop-tac-nhieu-mat-297173.html