Before the Government gets into the mood of hosting US President Barack Obama, some other important visits are lined up in the coming week. Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay and Foreign Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida are some of the guests India will be hosting next week.
Ban Ki-moon’s visit between January 10 and 13 begins from Gandhinagar where he is a guest of honour and keynote speaker at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015. Ban Ki-moon and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to meet during the Summit. Other elements of his visit to Gujarat include a tour of Sabarmati Ashram and inauguration of the 10 MW Canal -Top Solar Power Plant in Vadodara. The UN Secretary General will be accompanied by his wife Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek and a team of senior officials.
In New Delhi, the Secretary General will deliver the 13th Sapru House lecture on ‘India and the United Nations in a Changing World’ on January 12. He will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Speaker of lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan besides meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parriker and MoS (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar.
Bhutan PM Tobgay will be in India at the invitation of Modi from January 10 to 18. Tobgay will be accompanied by Foreign Minister, Economic Affairs Minister and senior officials of the Government of Bhutan. The Prime Minister of Bhutan and his delegation will also visit Gandhinagar to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 and later call on President and meet several Cabinet Ministers in New Delhi. Prime Minister Tobgay will also visit Varanasi and Bodh Gaya. MEA officials said “the visit will impart further content and momentum to the close partnership between India and Bhutan”. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit will be from January 16 to 18. He and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will co-chair the 8th India-Japan Strategic Dialogue on January 17, to review all aspects of the bilateral relations.