In a bid to boost people-to-people ties and cultural exchanges, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Saturday inaugurated a Danish Cultural Institute (DKI) here.

"We live in times of uncertainty but we (India and Denmark) have a long-lasting friendship," he added.

Stating that people of both countries should respect each other's culture, Rasmussen expressed the hope that the new centre "will bring India and Denmark closer".

He also referred to his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar on Friday and said that both agreed "to take our relationship higher".

Headquartered in Denmark, DKI has been engaged in fostering mutual understanding between people and cultures since 1940.

It also has branches in Belgium, Brazil, China, Latvia, Poland and Russia.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Thomas Sehested, Director of the India branch of DKI said that the new branch in India will work to create new partnerships, new collaborations between the two countries.

"India is such a huge source for inspiration when it comes to culture and we look forward to long lasting partnerships between our people - also in the field of cultural exchange," Sehested said.

The decision to open a branch of the DKI in India was taken in April last year during a meeting between Rasmussen and Modi on the sidelines of the India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm.

--IANS

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