King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden hosted last evening (June 1, 2015) a banquet in honour of President Pranab Mukherjee.

In a banquet speech, President Mukherjee saidIndia attaches great importance to its long standing friendship with Sweden. Though the two nations are geographically distant from each other, both are bound by a common commitment to democratic values and practice.

The President said India and Sweden have similar views on many issues of regional and global concern. The two countries have been co-operating closely in the United Nations and other multilateral fora - where India appreciates the support that it has received and continue to receive from Sweden. India is grateful for Sweden’s endorsement of its rightful claim to Permanent Membership of the United Nations Security Council and for Sweden’s proactive efforts that helped India achieve Observer status in the Arctic Council during the period of Sweden’s Chairmanship.

The President of India said he was confident that the bilateral agreements signed during the visit will lead to further fruitful engagement in the many fields where India and Sweden have obvious complementary ties. He also congratulated the people of Sweden for their creativity and their ingenious innovations and thanked them for giving to the world some of the most important and life-changing inventions.

This release issued at 1100hrs.