The first ever historic visit by the Vice President of the Dominican Republic to India has given a robust boost to the burgeoning relations between the two countries. It underscores the significance attributed by both nations to invigorating bilateral ties as they approach the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations established in 2024.
At the request of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Ms. Raquel Peña Rodríguez, Vice President of the Dominican Republic, embarked on an official visit to India from 3rd to 5th October 2023.
According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on Friday (Oct 6,2023) on Oct 3, Vice President Rodríguez paid a courtesy call to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. Furthermore, she engaged in discussions with Om Birla, the Speaker of Lok Sabha, at the New Parliament House. During her stay in Delhi, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had a meeting with Vice President Rodríguez. Additionally, she visited Rajghat to pay her respects with a floral tribute.
The 4th of October 2023 saw Vice President Rodríguez meeting with Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Their meeting encompassed a wide array of topics including political, defence, economic, cultural, educational, and developmental cooperation. Furthermore, they explored prospects for collaboration in international forums and deliberated on mutual interests.
In a special session, Vice President Rodríguez delivered the 45th Sapru House Lecture titled “The Dominican Republic and India: Natural Partners” at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).
Later she also made a visit to IIT Delhi, where she witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IIT-Delhi and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Dominican Republic.
The final day of her visit, Oct 5th, took Vice President Rodríguez to Taj Mahal Agra.