German President Frank Steinmeier Walter along with his wife Elke Budenbender and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan (Express photo by Praveen Jain)
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday received a ceremonial reception at the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Steinmeier, who is on a five-day visit to the country, was accorded with a guard of honour in the presence of President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I have been to India several times but this is my first visit here as the President of Germany. I am coming again and again because I am coming with huge respect for regarding all the achievements in India, for the people and the country itself,” ANI quoted him as saying at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan (Express photo by Praveen Jain)
Thereafter, he along with his wife, Elke Budenbender paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
Steinmeier will later in the day hold talks with PM Modi Modi to further broad base ties between the two countries in a range of areas including trade and investment. The meeting will take place at the renovated Sunder Nursery, a 90-acre heritage park in central Delhi. Steinmeier will also meet his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
The German president will also visit Jama Masjid, address a group of students at the Delhi University and speak at a business roundtable. On Sunday, he will travel to Chennai. His engagements there includes a visit to the IIT, Madras, and addressing a group of business leaders. The next day, he will visit the Shore temple in Mahabalipuram.
Steinmeier arrived Thursday on his first visit to India as German president. The German president began his five-day trip with a visit to Varanasi where he took a tour of the Sarnath museum and the archaeological site. He also visited the Mulgandha-Kuti temple where he was welcomed with a traditional ceremony. READ MORE