E-Paper
At JNU, Tanzanian president lauds Indian charm: ‘Very difficult to resist’
Tanzanian President Hassan was conferred with the honorary doctorate by JNU on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to be bestowed the honour.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday hailed India during her speech at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Recollecting her experience in the country the first time she visited here, Hassan said, "The world says, there is no midway in falling in love with India, be it an Indian song, an Indian movie, or Indian cuisine, it is very difficult to resist an Indian charm. I experienced it when I came to India for the first time in 1998 to study in Hyderabad."
"I stand here as a family member of Jawaharlal Nehru University and no more as a visiting guest. This is what makes India irresistible. This is what makes India, the Incredible India..." she added.
Hassan was also conferred with the honorary doctorate by JNU, becoming the first woman to be bestowed the honour.
"This honorary degree will forever be etched in my history, the first to be awarded to me by a foreign country. This is the first one to be conferred by a foreign university..." she said.
The event was also attended by Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
Speaking on India's relations with Tanzania Jaishankar said, “Economic ties between our two countries have always been a strong pillar. Our trade relations with Tanzania date back several centuries, when traders from the western coast of India first travelled to east Africa along the maritime route for trade and commerce. Despite the global disruption and challenges posed by the (COVID-19) pandemic, our bilateral trade has witnessed strong growth from both sides.”
Hassan is on a four-day visit to India. On Monday, she met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During a joint media interaction, both India and Tanzania pledged to expand cooperation in areas ranging from trade and investment to defence and counter-terrorism.
