This will be the first-ever visit of the President of India to Turkmenistan

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday departed from New Delhi for state visits to Turkmenistan and the Netherlands.

This will be the first-ever visit of the President of India to Turkmenistan. The presidential visit to the Netherlands comes after 34 years since the visit of President R Venkataraman in 1988, the President's Secretariat noted.

Earlier, announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said President Kovind will meet the new President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

They are expected to discuss various issues of bilateral and regional cooperation, including implementation of the outcomes of the India-Central Asia Summit held in January 2022.

During the visit to the Netherlands, President Kovind will hold discussions with His Royal Majesties and Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is an important economic and commercial partner of India with the country being India’s fourth largest FDI source. It also hosts the largest Indian diaspora in continental Europe, the MEA had pointed out.