Meenakashi Lekhi's Serbia visit will provide further momentum to bilateral ties: MEA

Minister of State for External Affairs (MoS) Meenakashi Lekhi's two-day visit to Serbia will provide further momentum to the close and friendly ties between the two countries, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday.

MoS Lekhi-led the Indian delegation as the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister at the High-Level Commemorative Meeting to mark the 60th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement held at Belgrade on October 11-12.

"The visit provided further momentum to the close and friendly relations between India and Serbia. Both sides agreed on the expansion and diversification of partnership between the two countries," MEA said in a statement.

In her address at the Plenary Session of the Conference, the MoS called on NAM members to ensure continuing relevance and influence of NAM on global outcomes. She underscored the need for NAM to focus on core contemporary issues like climate change, terrorism and tackling the Covid19 pandemic.

The MoS highlighted India's contributions through the supply of more than 70 million doses of vaccines to 93 countries, as a manifestation of its continuing commitment to meet the needs of the global south.

On the sidelines of the High-Level NAM Meeting, the minister also held a bilateral meeting with General Jeje Odongo, Foreign Minister of Uganda, and discussed ways to further strengthen and revitalize NAM under the upcoming Chairmanship of Uganda from 2023, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement.

The First Lady of Serbia Tamara Vucic joined MoS in a yoga master class along with Serbian yoga teachers and practitioners.

The MoS addressed the teaching staff and students at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade. She also had an interaction with a select group of Indologists and Indophiles over a Luncheon meeting.

She visited Matica Srpska, a historical cultural institution, where she was gifted with Serbian translations of ancient Indian texts. MoS paid her respects at the monuments erected in honour of Mahatma Gandhi and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.

( With inputs from ANI )

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