President Kovind reaches Mla for 5-day visit

President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind on Thursday reached Mla for a five-day state visit to the Philippines.

The visit has been orgsed at the invitation of Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and will carry forward the high-level engagements between the two countries.

Apart from a friendly relationship, the trade between the two countries stands at USD 2.3 billion dollars and is growing.

Kovind will receive a ceremonial guard of honour at Malacanang Palace. The President will lay a wreath at a memorial of Jose Rizal, who is the national hero of the Philippines.

The one-to-one talks between Kovind and Duterte will be followed by delegation-level talks.The President will address the plenary meetings of Indo-Philippine business conclave and fourth ASEAN India business summit.

Kovind will also unveil the bust of Mahatama Gandhi at the Centre of peace education at Marian College in Mla. He will interact with the Indian community on the penultimate day of his visit to the Philippines.

The President will head to Tokyo on October 21 for the second leg of his visit. He will attend various ceremonies related to the Emperor Naruhito's enthronement and also take part in a banquet hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The ceremony will be attended by leaders from all parts of the world.

Along with participating in a community event, the President will visit a Buddhist temple and plant a sapling from the sacred Bodhi Tree in Gaya to highlight India and Japan's historical and cultural linkages based on Buddhism.

Kovind will take one of the superfast trains to visit the Kakegawa city on the forenoon of October 23.

( With inputs from ANI )