EAM Jaishankar wishes people of Portugal on their National Day

Taking to Twitter, he extended his greetings to his Portugal counterpart Joao Cravinho and said, "Warm greetings to FM @JoaoCravinho and the Government and people of Portugal on their National Day."

"Our multifaceted bilateral partnership and EU engagement is growing from strength to strength," Jaishankar added.

Both India and Portugal share warm and cordial relations with each other.

Although the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has had a dampening effect on commercial activity, including tourism flows. However, bilateral trade has nonetheless flourished between the two nations.

India joining the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) in July 2021 has further added a new dimension to New Delhi's relations with Portugal and the Lusophonic world, with events like India celebrating Portuguese Language Day and organising a Lusophone Cultural Festival in Goa further strengthening the ties.

Earlier, in October last year, India and Portugal held the third round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) in Lisbon. The two sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed cooperation in defence, cultural and people-to-people relations, among others.

The consultations were co-chaired by Sanjay Verma, secretary (West) in MEA and envoy Rui Vinhas, director general for Foreign Policy in Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomat Verma also called on Francisco Andre, secretary of state for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Portugal, the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release.

The two sides carried out a comprehensive review of bilateral relations with a focus on issues like high-level political engagements, implementation of migration and mobility agreements, and deepening of trade and economic ties. They explored new and existing cooperation avenues in science and technology, defence, cultural and people-to-people relations. (ANI)