New Delhi: President of India Droupadi Murmu accepted credentials from the envoys of four countries during a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. Diplomats from Lao PDR, Congo, Namibia and Guinea-Bissau presented their credentials to the President.
Vithaya Xayavong, Ambassador of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, presented her credentials to the President. India’s bilateral relations with Laos have been long-standing, friendly and mutually supportive since diplomatic relations were established in 1956. According to the Indian Embassy in Laos, there is regard and respect for India in Laos and India’s story of development. Laos has been supportive of India on many major issues of regional and international concerns, including India’s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Emilie Ayaza Mushobekwa, also presented her credentials to the President. India was among the first countries to establish a diplomatic mission in Kinshasa in 1962. The Indian diaspora is among the largest expats community in DRC with around 25,000 Indian nationals /Person of Indian Origin (PIO), according to the MEA.
Wing Commander Alex Lunyazo Tukuhupwele (Retd.), High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia, also presented his credentials to President Murmu.
Tukuhupwele was nominated as Namibia’s High Commissioner-Designate to India by Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in February this year.
“President Nandi-Ndaitwah noted that bilateral relations between Namibia and India continue to deepen following the 2025 State Visit to Namibia by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as ongoing diplomatic engagements, have strengthened political dialogue and cooperation between the two nations,” the Namibian Presidency stated in February.
Antonio Serifo Embalo, Ambassador of Guinea-Bissau, also presented his credentials to President Murmu.
Embalo earlier served as Ambassador of Guinea-Bissau to China. He was also accredited to Singapore, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Economics from Higher School of Economics in Varna, Bulgaria, he held ministerial roles from 2001 to 2019, including in the Ministry of Trade and Handicraft Industry, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, and the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources.
(IANS)
