The President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil's Statement to the Media Onboard the Special Aircraft on Her Way Back From Her State Visits to the Republic of Korea and Mongolia

I have just concluded my State visits to the Republic of Korea and Mongolia. As I mentioned on my outward journey, for India both these countries are important partners in North East Asia and an integral part of our 'Look East' policy. People in both nations are believers in Buddhism, which spread there from India, and we have ancient cultural and historical links, as well as shared values. These commonalities enhance our relations.

The Presidents of both Republic of Korea and Mongolia had paid State visits to India in the last two years. Therefore, my return visits were being looked forward to by their Governments.

I was received with great warmth and cordiality in Seoul as also in Ulaanbaatar. My meetings with the Presidents and other leaders of both nations were friendly and productive; and there was a clear desire to expand and deepen relations with India. I fully reciprocated these sentiments and indicated that we wanted to take our Strategic Partnership with the Republic of Korea and our Comprehensive Partnership with Mongolia to a higher trajectory. In both Seoul and Ulaanbaatar, three inter-governmental agreements each were signed. You have already been briefed about these in detail.

In Korea, the Agreement on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy signed during my visit will enable our two countries to cooperate with each other in a new sector. President Lee and I agreed to enhance defence and security cooperation between our two countries including naval cooperation to protect the sea lanes of communication. President Lee was highly appreciative of the first ever visit to Republic of Korea by our Raksha Mantri last year and assured that his Defence Minister will visit India this year to maintain the momentum of our cooperation. Focusing on India's capabilities in the peaceful uses of outer space, I told President Lee that we look forward to launching Korean satellites on Indian rockets, as our launch vehicles are of high quality and competitive price. I indicated our desire to explore the possibility of upgrading the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, pressed for greater market access in Korea for Indian goods particularly pharmaceuticals and IT enabled services and invited enhanced Korean investment in India. The Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade will visit India later this year for the meeting of the India - ROK Joint Commission. I am confident that the upward trend in economic relations between India and Republic of Korea will strengthen immeasurably as a result of my visit.

Similarly, I believe that my visit to Mongolia will strengthen the economic partnership between our countries. The 20 million US Dollar Line of Credit for establishing an IT education and outsourcing centre in Ulaanbaatar will assist in creating new business and job opportunities for the friendly Mongolian people. India, considered as the Third neighbor by Mongolia, will continue helping in capacity building and human resource development in all sectors required by them. The MoU between the Planning Commission of India and the National Development and Innovation Committee of Mongolia will enable our two countries to share experiences in Plan formulation and implementation.

Indian business delegation which accompanied me to Ulaanbaatar had good discussions with their Mongolian counterparts as part of the India - Mongolia Business Forum. You heard for yourself some of their experiences in Mongolia, which provides us with hope for future economic and commercial relations.

The Agreement on Cooperation in Defence Matters signed during my visit to Ulaanbaatar signals the desire of both countries to strengthen security cooperation. We are confident that the conclusion of this very important Agreement will add depth and substance to India - Mongolia ties.

I invited both countries to actively involve themselves with the rejuvenation and rebuilding of Nalanda University as a centre of excellence in Asia. The leadership of both countries referred to India as the spiritual home for many of their nationals. I conveyed to the Mongolian leadership that India has liberalized its visa regime for Mongolian monks coming to India for Buddhist studies. They will now be eligible for visas for the duration of their studies or for five years, whichever is shorter.

With both countries we have signed Memoranda of Understanding on Media Exchanges which will help contribute to greater trust and understanding between our peoples. There is urgent need to enhance people-to-people exchanges with both nations. Therefore, in both capitals, I highlighted the need to commence direct air links.

Mongolia has recently assumed the Chair of the Community of Democracies in which India and the Republic of Korea are also members. On my part, I promised President Elbegdorj of Mongolia our full assistance in ensuring the success of his leadership of this organization and for promoting education for democracy.

In both Republic of Korea and Mongolia, I was able to meet with the leaders of their national legislative bodies where we discussed means of expanding parliamentary exchanges. The accompanying Minister and Members of Parliament who were part of my delegation actively participated in these interactions.

In my discussions in both the countries, there were references to the support provided by India's political leadership during difficult times in the course of their history - whether during the Korean war or while extending support to the admission of Mongolia to the United Nations. This high esteem is evident in the honour accorded to them. In Seoul, the bust of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore is an acknowledgment of his vision of Korea as the Lamp of the East; and in Ulaanbaatar, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi is a recognition of his universal message of peace and non-violence. I paid tribute at both these places at ceremonies marked with solemnity.

My visits to the Republic of Korea and Mongolia have been a clear indication to them of the importance India attaches to our relations which have an enormous potential. With momentum imparted to our ties through high level exchanges, I believe that our partnership with both these countries will we move forward purposefully and will also give a boost to our Look East policy. I have invited President Lee of the Republic of Korea and President Elbegdorj of Mongolia to visit India.

Thank You.