Suriname PIO President to be India R Day Chief Guest |
Indian-origin President of Republic of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, is likely to be the chief guest at India`s Republic Day parade this year on January 26. According to sources, Santokhi will be attending the parade at Rajpath on January 26. He was also the chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2021, where he delivered a keynote address and had expressed willingness to end the visa permits between India and Suriname, advocating for a free movement of people between the two countries. During his virtual address at the event, Santokhi had said Suriname is prepared to take the first step in doing so by ending visa permits for visitors from India to Suriname. He had also underlined the strategic importance of ties between the two countries and said that Surname was a part of India`s soft power and vice versa. Santokhi was sworn-in as the President of Suriname in July 2020 after his party - Progressive Reform Party - won the elections and ended the dictatorship of Dési Bouterse. Interestingly, the party was previously known as the United Hindustani Party due to its representation of the Indo-Surinamese community. India had earlier invited UK PM Johnson as the chief guest of the Republic Day parade. The visit was called off after a new strain of coronavirus was detected in the UK. Johnson also had a telephonic conversation with PM Narendra Modi and conveyed his inability to travel to India due to domestic commitments. He, however, promised to make a trip to the country in the first half of 2021.
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