Standing ovation, chants of 'Modi, Modi' as PM addresses Namibian Parliament

Windhoek, July 9 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a standing ovation from lawmakers and chants of 'Modi, Modi' reverberated in the air as he began his address to the Joint Session of the Parliament of Namibia, on Wednesday.

This was PM Modi's third address to a Parliament in a week.

On July 3, Prime Minister Modi addressed a special session of the Parliament of Ghana, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to do so. The session, convened by the Speaker of Parliament, was attended by Members of Parliament, government officials and distinguished guests from both the nations. It marked a significant moment in India-Ghana relations, reflecting the mutual respect and shared democratic values that unite the two countries.

A day later, on July 4, PM Modi, at the invitation of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, addressed the Joint Assembly of the Parliament of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T). He was the first Prime Minister from India to address the T&T Parliament, and the occasion marked a milestone in India-Trinidad & Tobago bilateral relations.

PM Modi already leads the list when it comes to the number of addresses made by Indian Prime Ministers to foreign parliaments.

PM Modi has so far addressed Parliaments of 16 countries, including Namibia on Wednesday, way ahead of former PMs Manmohan Singh (7), Indira Gandhi (4), Jawaharlal Nehru (3), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2), Rajiv Gandhi (2), P.V. Narasimha Rao (1) and Morarji Desai (1).

Earlier, following their discussions on further strengthening bilateral ties, Prime Minister Modi and Namibia President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah witnessed the exchange of two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in the fields of health and entrepreneurship, in Windhoek.

The MoU on setting up of an Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Namibia and another on Cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine came on the occasion of PM Modi's one-day State Visit to Namibia, the first at the level of Prime Minister after 27 years.

In addition, it was announced that Namibia has joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Global Biofuels Alliance.

The African nation is also the first country to enter into a licensing agreement to adopt UPI technology with the announcement on launching of Digital Payments system in Namibia later this year being an outcome of the signing of the UPI technology licensing agreement between NPCI and Bank of Namibia in April 2024.

Earlier, on his arrival at the State House in Windhoek, PM Modi was warmly welcomed by President Nandi-Ndaitwah and accorded a ceremonial reception. This was also the first bilateral State Visit that President Nandi-Ndaitwah hosted after taking over office in March this year.

As the two leaders recalled the proud history that underpins bilateral ties, Prime Minister Modi congratulated President Nandi-Ndaitwah on being elected the Head of State of Namibia. The Prime Minister also conveyed condolences on the passing away this year of the Founding Father of Namibia, Dr. Sam Nujoma.

The two leaders then held discussions on further strengthening bilateral ties, including in the areas of defence, maritime security, digital technology & UPI, agriculture, health and pharma, energy and critical minerals.

--IANS

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