Your Excellency, Mr. Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan,

1.It is a great pleasure to receive you at the Rashtrapati Bhavan once again. I warmly recall your previous visit in September, 2012. You were the first Head of State to make a State Visit to India after I assumed office as President of India. Your visit today, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, bears testimony to the abiding friendship between our nations.

Excellency,

Your Excellency, Mr. Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambaev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic,

2. It is my privilege to receive you on your first State Visit to India. On behalf of our Government and people, I extend a warm welcome to you, Madame Raisa Atambaeva and the distinguished members of your delegation.

1.It is my pleasure to be here on the occasion of the convocation ceremony of Army College of Dental Sciences. Established in 2001, this college has done remarkably well in a short span of time. From gaining a grade ‘A’ NAAC accreditation to being ranked consistently amongst the top dental institutions in India, it has brought glory to both the Indian Army and the country.

I am indeed happy to be present amidst you on the occasion of the 17thNational Jamboree of Bharat Scouts and Guides at Mysuru, a heritage city of India and the cultural capital of Karnataka.

We must keep in mind that there is no conflict or contradiction between the promotion of regional history and the pursuit of the history of our country as a whole. Indeed, the more we know about our regions, the more we enrich the history of the whole country. My first Master’s degree is in the subject of History. Kolkata, where I studied, has been home to some of our great historians like Sir Jadunath Sarkar, Professor R. C. Majumdar, Professor N. K. Sinha, Professor D. C. Sircar, Professor B. N. Mukherjee and others.

Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil,

Shri Hamid Ansari,

Smt. Meira Kumar,

Shri Justice S.H. Kapadia,

Members of Parliament,

Your Excellencies, Friends and fellow citizens,

My fellow citizens:

Your Excellency, President Rahmon

I extend a most cordial welcome to you and your distinguished delegation. We are indeed happy to have you amongst us once again. You are an old friend of India.

Your Excellency,

For centuries, the people of India and Tajikistan have shared ideas, knowledge, art and literature. A strong relationship has existed, from pre-historic times, between India and Central Asia, and in particular, the Tajik people.

Distinguished Teachers and the proud recipients of the National Award,

Union Minister for HRD, Shri Kapil Sibal,

Ministers of State for HRD, Shri E. Ahamed and Dr. D. Purandeswari,

Ladies & Gentlemen,