1. A function to commemorate India’s 65th Independence Day was held in the Embassy of India, Tehran in the morning of August 15, 2011.
2. The Charge d’ AffairsMr. Sibi George unfurled the Indian Tri Colour and read out the address to the Nation by President of India, H.E. Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil on the eve of the Independence Day. Students of the Indian Embassy School in Tehran sang patriotic songs.More than three hundred persons of Indian Origin in Iran attended the celebrations.
3. In her address to the nation, H.E. Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil said “As I speak to you on the eve of our 65th Independence Day, I extend my warmest greetings to all of you living in India and overseas. India is the world’s largest democracy. The country has performed well economically with a growth rate of 8.6 per cent last year. We are committed to the welfare of all and are pursuing an inclusive growth agenda. There is much promise, much potential, much hope and much optimism about our future prospects. As we look at our past performance, we can draw strength from the fact that the framework of our Constitution has served us well. The institutions created by it – the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary – have been stable and have achieved much. The separation of powers, the elaborate system of checks and balances, have given our country a governance structure in which equilibrium is maintained, when every institution respects the field of responsibility of the others.”
4. She added that “The Census has just been completed in our country. We are now a nation of 1.2 billion, constituting about a sixth of the global population. We will reap a demographic dividend, only when our population is educated and equipped with the necessary skills. This entails a focus on education and skill development, to build their capacities to meet the requirements of the nation. They can add immensely to India’s economy – in the service sector, cutting edge technologies, manufacturing, industry, and agriculture. We are a country shaped by the experiences, sacrifices and hard work of our citizens. Indians have shown tremendous enterprise and there are many success stories. They have earned goodwill for the country wherever they are working or they are settled. They have done us proud. Moreover, we must inculcate respect for pluralism, harmonious living and compassion, all of which are a part of our legacy of always upholding the highest human values. With these words, I wish all citizens the very best on the occasion of Independence Day.”
5. After these remarks, Charge d’ Affairs Sibi George Affairs highlighted the significance of India-Iran relations. He emphasized the steady exchange of high level political visits between the two countries in the last few years. He said that the economic relationship between the two countries is on the up swing. He emphasized thepeople to people exchange that constitutes the main aspect of the bilateral relations. In 2010, Embassy of India and its Consulates in Zahidan and Bandar Abbas issued 40,000 visas for Iranians to travel to India. To facilitate the visa process, the Embassy has successfully outsourced visa application collections for tourist visas. This has successfully streamlined the visa process and reduced the time taken for visas. The Charge d’ Affairssaid that in case of student visasthere has been an increase. At present, it is estimated that several thousand student visas have been issued to Iranian students studying in India and this has steadily increased.
6. The Charge d’ Affairs also highlighted the close cultural relations between the two countries. He recalled the successful ‘Days of Indian Culture’ that the Embassy organized in close cooperation with the Iranian Government in Tehran and Shiraz in May, 2011. He also recalled the various functions/celebrations that the Embassy organized in Tehran, Bandar Abbas and Mashhad to commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagorea.
Tehran
15 August 2011
