NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his first working day today holding bilaterals with SAARC Heads of State, who had come to attend his swearing-in ceremony last evening.
Earlier, Mr Modi went to the South Block and assumed charge of his office. Thereafter, he drove straight to the Hyderabad House for the meeting with Heads of the State of the neighbouring countries.
Mr Modi will be meeting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later in the day.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai was the first to meet the newly installed Prime Minister.
Thereafter, the Prime Minister would be holding talks with Maldives President Abdulla Yameen and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Heads of State whose meetings are lined up are Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonchen Tshering Tobgay, Mauritius Prime Minister Naveen Ramgoolam and Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. Bangladesh is represented by its Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury as country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was not able to come, being away on a visit to Japan. All these leaders will be calling on President Pranab Mukherjee later in the day.
It was for the first time that foreign Heads of State had been invited to the swearing-in ceremony of a Prime Minister in the country.
The gesture on the part of the new government is being seen as an attempt on the part of Mr Modi to reach out to India’s neighbours to herald in an era of peace and cooperation in the region.
(AGENCIES)
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