Belgian State Visit to India: Day Two

Today, Tuesday November 7, the second day of the state visit, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were officially welcomed during a welcoming ceremony held in the courtyard of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Indian Presidential Palace, in New Delhi.

At the ceremony were present the Indian President, Ram Nath Kovind, along with his wife Savita Kovind and the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The King inspected the guard of honour and the national anthems were played.

Afterwards the Royal Couple paid a visit to the Raj Ghat, a memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, where they laid a wreath and signed the guestbook. Then the visit continued with a separate program for the King and the Queen.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

TTMM the King and the Queen of the Belgians paid their respect to the father of the Indian nation, Mahatma Gandhi at #RajGhat #BELIND2017 pic.twitter.com/ddoa9G8OLa

— Belgium in India (@BelgiuminIndia) November 7, 2017

King Philippe had meetings with the Prime Minister and the Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, followed by a luncheon. Later the King laid a wreath at the Indian Gate, the Indian national war memorial for the Indian troops that fought in Belgium during the First World War. In the afternoon King Philippe attended a working session about sustainable cities where Belgian and Indian delegations shared ideas, knowledge and experiences.

Held talks with HM the King of the Belgians. India cherishes the ties with Belgium & we look forward to diversifying bilateral cooperation. pic.twitter.com/G9tZxzsxCr

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 7, 2017

Last Post aan India Gate: Herdenking Indische slachtoffers tijdens #WOI #BELIND2017 pic.twitter.com/vCzUNInOtc

— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) November 7, 2017

Queen Mathilde, in the meantime, visited the headquarters of Fusion Microfinance, a company that provides financial services to women living in rural and semi-urban areas. During the visit was presented the story of three female entrepreneurs helped by the company and then took place a roundtable at the presence of the Queen, Devesh Sachdev CEO and founder of the company and members of the Belgian delegation.

https://twitter.com/BelgiuminIndia/status/927792892604592128

First Lady Savita Kovind hosted Queen Mathilde of the Belgians for a conversation on bilateral relations over lunch at Rashtrapati Bhavan pic.twitter.com/eiuqeJXdvi

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 7, 2017

At lunchtime Queen Mathilde was invited by the First Lady Savita Kovind for a discussion about the UN Sustainable Development Goals followed by a lunch. Later in the afternoon the Queen, accompanied by the Minister for Women & Child Development Maneka Gandhi, paid a visit to the headquarter of ChildLine, a non-government organisation establishe in 1996. The organization works as nationwide emergency telephone helpline for children in distress.

In the evening took place a state banquet hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind. King Philippe started his speech by thanking the President for his warm welcome, adding that the Belgians have great respect and admiration for India and its old and rich culture. The King also stressed that “over the centuries, Belgium and India have developed a relationship based on trust” and he added that “this State visit will certainly contribute to reinforcing such true and promising friendship”.

Belgisch staatsbezoek aan India gaat zo meteen voort met staatsbanket. #BelInd2017 pic.twitter.com/gGc0z8KBYE

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) November 7, 2017

https://twitter.com/BelgiuminIndia/status/927954327905320960

Filed under Belgium
Tagged India, King Philippe of the Belgians, President Kovind of India, Prime Minister Modi of India, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, State Visit.

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