Vice President of the Dominican Republic, H.E Raquel Peña, visits India
New Delhi- Vice President of the Dominican Republic, H.E. Raquel Peña paid an official visit to India from 01- 05 October, 2023. The visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and exploring avenues for cooperation between the two nations. The visit encompassed a series of significant meetings and engagements with high-ranking officials and institutions across New Delhi.
Her Excellency, Raquel Peña held meetings in Delhi, with the President of India Smt. Dropadi Murmu, Vice President of India, H.E Jagdeep Dhankhar, Minister of External Affairs, H.E Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Om Birla. She also had the opportunity to visit the New Parliament of India and to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
During course of the meetings, the aim was set to discuss matters of mutual interest and diplomatic collaboration, especially in trade and commerce, education, defence, space and renewables. H.E.Peña pointed out the scope for working together and exchanging the experience and expertise in areas such as pharmaceutical products, marine science, meteorology, disaster resilient infrastructure and digital payments technologies.
Three Memorandum of Understanding were signed during H.E. Raquel Peña visit to India, with the National Institute of Oceanography, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Delhi) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
In the joint statement resulting from the meeting between the Vice President of India, H.E. Jagdeep Dhankhar, and the Vice President of the Dominican Republic, H.E. Raquel Peña, both countries “Expressed satisfaction at the expanding bilateral trade and agreed on the need for joint efforts to increase trade and promote investment in sectors of mutual interest, including through business exchanges. In this context, they appreciated the participation of the Dominican Republic in the 9th CII-India LAC Conclave organized in New Delhi in August 2023 and the signing of a Cooperation Agreement between Invest India and ProDominicana to promote investment flows.”
The 45th Sapru House Lecture titled “The Dominican Republic and India: Natural Partners,” organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs, featured H.E. Raquel Peña. During this event, the Vice President emphasized, among other things, the potential for the Dominican Republic to serve as a gateway for India into Latin America, and conversely, India as a pathway for the Dominican Republic into South Asia and beyond.
H.E. Raquel Peña and her delegation was later welcomed by Ambassador David Puig and the team of the Dominican Republic in India, at the premises of our mission in New Delhi.
The last day of her visit H.E. Raquel Peña was invited for a special program of Indian Diplomacy in DD India Live with Mr. Sreeram Chaulia throwing light on the investment climate and good governance in Dominican Republic and the possible collaboration in the areas of higher education and oceanography for increased bilateral cooperation.
To conclude her official visit in India, Vice President of the Dominican Republic, H.E. Raquel Peña, Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, José Julio Gómez Beato and the rest of the official delegation visited the Taj Mahal in Agra.
To commemorate the Vice President's visit to India and kickstart the 25th anniversary celebrations between the two nations, the Archaeological Survey of India illuminated the Qutub Minar using the ultramarine blue, vermillion red, and white colors of the Dominican Republic's National Flag.