Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh met Vice President of Czech Senate Jiri Oberfalzer in Parliament on Saturday and discussed India-Czech historical relations and ways to further expand Parliamentary exchanges as well as enhance academic, scientific and people to people ties.
Welcoming the delegation, Harivansh lauded India's bilateral relations with the Czech Republic and stated that India values its ties with the Czech Republic which are historic and time-tested.
He said that in recent years, "our bilateral relations received fresh momentum with the exchange of high-level visits from both sides".
He also referred in this regard to the visit of the Foreign Minister scheduled in April 2022 to take part in the Raisina dialogue and mentioned that such regular interactions are a testimony to robust bilateral relations of both countries.
The Deputy Chairman appreciated that the trade and economic relations of the two countries have been consistent despite the pandemic.
Harivansh stated, "The Covid 19 pandemic has created problems for all of us. However, in the wake of the lowering of incidence of COVID-19 cases, it now appears that the situation is getting under control and India is now open to tourists and is encouraging in-bound tourism."
He also appreciated the kind gesture of the Czech Republic to provide support in the form of 500 Oxygen cylinders as a part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
On the need to work towards global economic recovery and facilitate the travel of people, he desired that "the delegation to recognize Covaxin and India's vaccination certificates for easing restrictions on the travel of Indian nationals."
Recalling that the bilateral cultural and educational exchanges since historic times underline the depth of the two countries' relationship. He mentioned that "Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore's visits in 1921 and 1926 and the establishment of the Indology Department at Charles University including the frequent visits of Professor Vincent Lesny to India to work on Indian culture, languages and literature is a testimony of our historic linkages."
He appreciated the installation of the bust of Tagore in an exclusive residential area in Prague, with the street named as Thakurova.
Harivansh was happy to learn that Yoga, one of the important old traditions of India, has become a way of life for many Czech people and Yoga studios have become famous and mushroomed throughout the country.
Underlining the India-Czech Parliamentary Cooperation, he stated that one of the strong pillars of our bilateral relations is to enhance our parliamentary cooperation. There is a huge potential for interaction between two Parliaments and cooperation at various inter-parliamentary fora, he added.
The Deputy Chairman also proposed regular Parliamentary exchanges through diplomatic channels and emphasized that such exchanges would enhance mutual respect and understanding of the two countries for democratic principles and practices which is much needed in present times.
The delegation led by Jiri Oberfalzer appreciated the friendly relationships between the two countries and hoped that such a visit would further strengthen the existing bonds.
( With inputs from ANI )
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