Jaswant to visit Europe, US from Monday

Jaswant to visit Europe, US from Monday
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, MARCH 30: External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh will leave for a week-long trip from on Monday that will take him to Denmark and Sweden before he arrives in the United States for a dialogue with US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Singh's first halt will be Copenhagen where he will meet his Danish counterpart Mogens Lykketoft and exchange views on a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Singh will also call on Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmessen during his two-day visit aimed at further consolidating bilateral ties. Indian exports to Denmark total to $200 million.

Singh will arrive in Stockholm on April 4 to lead the Indian delegation at the India-European Union troika ministerial meeting. Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh will represent EU, as Sweden its presidency.

The first-ever India-EU summit held in Lisbon in June last year had marked the beginning of a strategic partnership between the two sides to intensify relations in the political, economic and commercial fields.

The Lisbon Joint Declaration, adopted at the conclusion of the summit attended by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, provides a blueprint for upgrading bilateral ties. Senior officials of India and the EU will meet in New Delhi in the next few months to carry forward the talks.

Singh will then leave for Washington for meetings with Powell and other top officials of the new Bush administration. Singh, who will be in Washington from April 5 to 7, is undertaking the visit at Powell's invitation.