On
the event of 67th Anniversary of India’s Independence,
I take this opportunity to convey my greetings to all the Indians in Algeria and my
Algerian brothers and sisters. We have
just concluded the commemoration of Algeria’s
50th Anniversary of Independence and have completed 50 years of
Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between India
and Algeria. I look back at these 50 years as a great
achievement by Algeria as an
independent nation and consolidation of the historical bilateral relations
between India and Algeria. I also convey my best wishes, although a bit
late on Eid, which came after the holy month of Ramadan to all fellow Algerians
and Indians. I must remind you that
Ramadan & Eid are celebrated in India
with great fervor since we have nearly 150 million Muslims in India, the second largest in the world after Indonesia.
2. India
and Algeria
have historical and close relations which have further been strengthened over
the years. One just has to open the
pages of history to find the evidences of the cordial relations between our two
countries.
3. India
and Algeria
have both walked the way through Non-Alignment, South-South Cooperation and
North-South Dialogue and Removal of Colonialism. We have always cooperated and collaborated in
various international and multinational fora including the United Nations.
4. In April 2013, H.E. Mr. E. Ahamed,
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs visited Algeria. This visit in particular has further strengthened
our relationship. He had very close
interaction with H.E. Mr. Abdelmalek Sellal, Prime Minister of Algeria and H.E.
Mr. Mourad Medelci, Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the discussions, it was resolved that India and Algeria should exploit the
potential further which exists in the commercial & economic field,
especially in the energy sector and information & communication
technology. A delegation from SONATRACH
visited India during the
month of June and a Defence Delegation is likely to visit India soon.
5. Trade between India and Algeria has remained stable though
considerable potential exists to further improve.
6. To commemorate the 50th
Anniversary of Algeria’s Independence, we
brought Bollywood troupe in January, 2013 which performed in various places in Algeria to more
than capacity audiences. This year also,
we wish to bring more cultural troupes from India to further deepen the
people-to-people contacts.
7. I once again take this opportunity to
greet all the Indians in Algeria
and my Algerian friends on the occasion of the 67th Anniversary of
India’s Independence.
(K.S.
Bhardwaj) Ambassador
