Windhoek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday was conferred with Namibia’s highest civilian honour ‘Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis’ during his one-day State Visit to the African nation.
Established in 1995 shortly after Namibia gained independence in 1990, the award recognises distinguished service and leadership. It is named after the Welwitschia Mirabilis, a unique and ancient desert plant endemic to Namibia, and symbolises resilience, longevity and the enduring spirit of the Namibian people.
“I thank you and the Namibian government for deciding to confer upon me the highest civilian award of ‘Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis’ which is a matter of great pride to 140 crore Indians,” PM Modi stated while making remarks during the delegation-level talks held in Windhoek along with Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
This is the 27th global honour for PM Modi, the fourth during the ongoing five-nation visit and the second in less than 24 hours.
On Tuesday night, India time, Brazil conferred its highest honour — the Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross — on Prime Minister Modi during his State Visit to the country.
Last Friday, Prime Minister Modi became the first foreign leader to be conferred with ‘The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago’, the highest civilian award of the Caribbean nation, during his two-day visit to Port of Spain.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamala Persad Bissessar, while delivering glowing praise for the Indian PM, mentioned that the honour is being bestowed in recognition of his global leadership, deep ties with the Indian diaspora, and his humanitarian efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
On July 2, as he kicked off his five-nation tour, Prime Minister Modi was conferred the ‘Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’, the country’s national honour in recognition of his “distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership” by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in Accra.
The awards, analysts reckoned, underline PM Modi’s unmatched stature – no Prime Minister of India has ever had such a profound global impact, they assert – as a global statesman who remains committed to regional peace, development, and spiritual diplomacy.
“For the first time, India’s foreign policy is unapologetically ‘India First’ — clear-headed, confident, and consistent. The world is not just watching; it is acknowledging and respecting this new India,” a former diplomat had opined.
In June, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides had conferred upon Prime Minister Modi Cyprus’s honour – the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III – at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia.
Earlier this year, Mauritius and Sri Lanka had conferred their highest civilian honours upon PM Modi.
In April, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake conferred Prime Minister Modi with ‘Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana’, the island nation’s highest civilian honour for Heads of State and Government in a grand recognition of the Indian leader’s efforts to strengthen the ties between the two neighbouring nations.
The conferring of the award was regarded as a powerful symbol of shared destinies, spiritual kinship, and a vision for progress rooted in mutual respect and trust between the two countries.
In March, during the National Day celebrations in Port Louis, Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool also conferred the ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean’ (GCSK) award, the highest civilian award of Mauritius, on Prime Minister Modi. This was the first time that an Indian leader received the honour.
On Tuesday, PM Modi was given a warm welcome by Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia as he began a State Visit to the country following his participation in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
After the special ceremonial welcome – which featured 114 horses escorting PM Modi’s car – with military honours and introduction of delegates, both leaders proceeded for a meeting in restricted format that will be followed by delegation-level talks.
A signing ceremony on various agreements will be held and followed by leaders’ statements to the press. PM Modi will then be honoured with a State Lunch at the Alvorada Palace.
(IANS)
