Remarks of Mr. Sanjiv Arora, Ambassador of India to Republic of Lebanon at the Official Reception to celebrate India’s 70th Republic Day on 26 January, 2019 at the Grand Ballroom,
Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut
His Excellency Yacoub El Sarraf, Minister of Defence, representing His Excellency President Michel Aoun;
His Excellency Ali Osseiran, representing His Excellency Nabih Berri, President of the National Assembly, Mr. Ali Osseiran is also Chairman of Lebanese Parliamentary Friendship Group with India;
His Excellency Jamal Jarrah, Minister of Telecommunications, representing His Excellency Prime Minister Saad Hariri;
Mr. Ali Ghandour, President of the Association for Development of Lebanon India Relations (ADLIR); Colonel Jeevan B, Commanding Officer of the Indian Battalion in UNIFIL; My colleagues from the Embassy on the stage and off the stage; Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour and a pleasure for me to warmly welcome all of you to this celebration of India’s 70th Republic Day.
It was on this historic day, 69 years ago, that the Constitution of a newly independent India, which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November, 1949, came into force. The Constitution enshrines the same ideals and aspirations that guided India’s peaceful freedom movement in which millions of Indians participated under the most inspirational leadership of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
Friends,
This morning, I had the honour of unfurling our National Flag and reading the Address of the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind at the Flag Hoisting ceremony at the Embassy, that was attended by a large number of Indian nationals in Lebanon.
As Hon’ble President has said, and I quote:
Quote
This is an occasion to commemorate the values of our democracy and Republic. This is an occasion to reaffirm our commitment to liberty, fraternity and equality across our society and among all our citizens. And above all, this is an occasion to celebrate India and the spirit of being Indian.
India, a country of 1.3 billion people, the world’s largest democracy and the third largest economy on Purchasing Power Parity terms, is making rapid strides. The Government led by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi has launched major new initiatives and taken several measures to make India a preferred destination and partner for business and tourism. In the latest ‘Doing Business Report’ (DBR 2019) released by the World Bank on 31 October, 2018, India has recorded a jump of 23 positions and ranked 77 among 190 countries assessed by the World Bank. India’s leap of 23 ranks in Ease of Doing Business is particularly significant, considering that only last year, India had improved its rank by 30 places, a rare achievement for any large country of the size of India.
Friends,
On this joyous celebration of our Republic Day in Lebanon, we also celebrate the historic friendly ties between India and Lebanon. We, in India, have always admired Lebanon’s pluralistic ethos, culture and traditions; her democratic polity; and the resilience and versatility of her people. As the time tested friends of this glorious land of cedars, that gave alphabets to the world, our best wishes are always with our Lebanese friends.
We are working closely with the Lebanese side in broadening and deepening our engagement on all bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, and in expanding our cooperation in various sectors for greater progress and prosperity of the people of our two countries.
As many of you would be aware, Indian Army personnel (INDBATT) have been deployed in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) since November, 1998. As per the annual rotation, INDBATT XX [11 Jat Infantry Battalion Group] took over from INDBATT XIX [5 Assam Infantry Battalion Group] at the end of October, 2018. Besides their highest professional standards, INDBATT personnel are highly regarded for their sincere outreach to the local community in line with their ‘Winning Hearts & Minds’ approach. It is also significant that in Kazakhstan’s first ever contribution to a UN Peacekeeping Mission, 120 Kazakh troops have been deployed under the command of the Indian Battalion since 31 October, 2018.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are privileged to have with us this evening, the brave soldiers of the Indian Battalion, including their ceremonial band and jazz band in the best traditions of the Indian Army. Please join me in giving a round of applause to the INDBATT Commanding Officer and his entire team.
There have been some notable developments during the last one year in our bilateral cooperation with Lebanon, including the swift reconstitution of Lebanese Parliamentary Friendship Group for India [also known as Lebanese-Indian Friendship Parliamentary Committee] after the elections in May 2018; exchange of high level invitations; visit of a 48 member multi-sectoral business delegation to Beirut and Tripoli; signing of an Agency Agreement between Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) and Exceptional Operations Classification Sal (XOClass) in a joint effort to develop Lebanese market for management, surveys and classification of ships; participation of 10 Indian companies in a major trade exhibition in Beirut; and further increase in civilian and defence training slots for Lebanese officials under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation [ITEC] Programme, that was initiated in 1964 for capacity building in fellow developing countries and is funded by Government of India, as also in the number of professionals and businessmen visiting between India and Lebanon.
Friends,
There have been enthusiastic public celebrations of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi since October, 2018. In a beautiful and touching tribute, renowned Lebanese singer Abeer Nehme has rendered ‘Vaishnav Jan To’, a 15th century devotional song in Gujarati, that was dear to Gandhiji’s heart. Thank you, Abeer, for paying homage to the Father of our Nation by singing ‘Vaishnav Jan To’, a universal and eternal message of love, compassion and brotherhood, in your beautiful voice. Public events have been held to celebrate 150th Birth Anniversary of this apostle of peace and non-violence in Beirut and other places, including at INDBATT Hqs in South Lebanon.
The website and social media [Twitter and Facebook] of Embassy of India, Beirut have been gaining increasing popularity. The following of the Embassy’s Twitter handle [@IndiaInLebanon] has increased from nearly 2500 in June, 2017 to over 7600 in January, 2019. I invite you all to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube!
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Ensuring the well being and welfare of Indian nationals in Lebanon is the foremost priority for Embassy of India. We have a regular, active and inclusive outreach to the Indian community. In particular, we have an extremely important responsibility towards the Indian workers who are contributing to the development of their host country with their skills and hardwork. We remain in close contact with the authorities concerned in Lebanon regarding the well being of our nationals and look forward to receiving their further cooperation and support.
As we celebrate the 70th Republic Day, I warmly congratulate the Indian community in Lebanon for all that they do for their host country, and for further strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Lebanon.
Friends,
I would also like to avail this opportunity to express, also on behalf of my family, our sincere thanks to the Lebanese Government and people for their warm welcome, gracious hospitality, guidance and support since our arrival in this beautiful and friendly country in December, 2016.
Over two years have flown by and now it is time to say ‘Ila El Liqa’!. Government of India has recently notified my appointment as a Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, and it is time to move on .. Your beautiful and great country has been our home for over two years. From the time we arrived in Lebanon, we felt that we were among friends! I vividly recall our Republic Day celebrations at the same beautiful venue on 26 January, 2017, shortly after our arrival. That was an evening of introductions for us, and today, the same hall is overflowing with friends and there are many, many more… We shall carry pleasant memories of our stay in Lebanon. We shall always miss Lebanon and the warmth, cheerfulness and friendship of the people of Lebanon.
I have also been fortunate to have an outstanding team in the Embassy. Any Ambassador would be proud to have such wonderful colleagues. I am grateful to them and wish them the best in their future endeavours.
Friends,
I am reminded of a popular song of legendary Lebanese Singer Feyrouz; I would recite the first stanza in Arabic:
أنا صار لازم ودعكن وخبركن عني
أنا كل القصة لو منكن ما كنت بغني
غنينا أغاني عوراق، غنّية لواحد مشتاق
ودايماً بالآخر، في آخر، في وقت فراق
في وقت فراق