Potential to further diversify trade basket between India, Dominican Republic: Murmu

NEW DELHI: Asserting that the Dominican Republic is India's eighth largest trading partner in the Latin America, President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said there is potential to further diversify the trade basket between the two countries.

Welcoming Dominican Republic Vice President Raquel Peña Rodríguez on her first visit to India, Murmu said that capacity building is one of the central pillars of cooperation between the two nations.

Rodríguez called on Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

President Murmu said the timing of the visit is very apt as India and Dominican Republic are marking the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. She noted that bilateral relations between the two countries are warm and friendly, anchored on the strong foundation of shared values of democracy, and a broad convergence of views on global issues, according to a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

''She was confident that there is potential to further diversify the trade basket,'' the President was quoted as having said in the statement.

Murmu said there is scope for working together and exchanging experience and expertise in the areas such as pharmaceutical products, marine science, meteorology, disaster-resilient infrastructure and digital payments technologies.

The statement said she was happy to note India recently organised two special ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) training courses for Dominican Republic officials in the critical fields of cyber security and remote sensing.

''The two leaders agreed that continued exchanges and contacts between India and Dominican Republic would further strengthen our bilateral ties,'' the statement said.